In The Memory
by Stetnee
Summary: Heero thought his life was normal. But after meeting Duo, he learns there is more to his life then he ever imagined.
1. Chapter ONE

Disclaimer… Oh give me a break you know damn well that none of us here are making any money off this.

Note: Yes it's been a while for me hasn't it? Well a lot has gone on, and I lost a few good years I could have spent writing. But back on track, eh?! Unfortunately I think it's possible that this is my last GW fanfic. Not my last fanfic, but I might just be moving on to other things. We'll see.

And lastly, I'd like to give a big thanks to the lovely Lanthir for being a wonderful and patient beta!

As always, R&R please! I live off feedback!

* * *

Every morning at precisely six am, Heero Yuy would awake with a start. He would roll over and turn off the alarm clock, then lie on his back, staring at the ceiling and listening to the renewed silence. His apartment was always quiet but that stillness, after the buzzing sliced through the air to wake him, was different. He enjoyed those moments of thick calm. Before getting out of bed he stared at that white ceiling for exactly two minutes. And it was with great reluctance that he rose to face another monotonous day.

What followed was a ritual ten minute shower, towel drying of his hair and brushing his teeth. He never brushed his hair – the dark mess remained unruly despite any efforts to tame it. After brushing his teeth he inspected himself in the bathroom mirror, studying his own face for several minutes. He looked into his own midnight blue eyes and a sigh escaped his lips. Then he returned to the bedroom where his clothes for the day, having been laid out the night before, awaited him, neatly folded on the chair in the corner.

As routine dictated, after getting dressed Heero went to the kitchen and ate his breakfast. It was always the same – two pieces of toast and a glass of enriched orange juice. He nibbled the toast and sipped the juice while sitting at his laptop and lazily reading the news. At exactly six forty-five, he closed his laptop and grabbed his keys, ready to make the morning commute to work.

It took Heero an average of ten minutes, depending on traffic, to drive to the Preventers Headquarters, where he worked diligently (and safely from behind his desk) fighting terrorism five days a week. He parked in the parking garage on the third level, always taking the same spot near the elevators. Entering the building, he nodded at Sarah, the receptionist, and continued to his office on the seventh floor. He shared an office with Wufei Chang, and as he entered their office they nodded at each other in silent greeting. His Chinese friend was always busy at his desk by the time Heero arrived, and always had a file or two for Heero to begin work on.

This was how it always was, Heero going through the same motions, day in and day out, as if he himself had been programmed like the technology he worked on. This was his life. It was a familiar rhythm that he rarely diverged from.

On this particular Monday, Heero went through his usual patterns and the day seemed like any other. He woke up, watched the ceiling, took his shower, got dressed, ate his breakfast, went to work and clocked out at exactly four pm. Just as always.

It was then, on his way home from work, that the day took him from the path of normalcy.

Heero was stopped at a red light, idly tapping his thumbs on the steering wheel. His car hummed softly and music emanated from the radio, Heero's dancing thumbs matching the cadence of its beat. The light turned green and he pressed down on the pedal. The gentle drone of the car faltered and the car gave a violent jerk. A quiet sputtering sounded from under the hood and Heero frowned. He turned off the engine and restarted it, the car hesitantly coming back to life. He drove on a few more blocks before the car lurched again and the strange noise returned. The faint smell of rusted metal began wafting through the dashboard, and, cursing, Heero pulled the car to the curb.

Curious and beginning to worry, he turned off the engine, got out of the car and popped the hood. As he looked upon the complicated workings of the engine, he scratched his head and swatted his hand at the haze of steam that rose from it. The stench of burning surrounded him and he knew trying to inspect the machine himself was no good. Give him a computer and he could work out any problem that presented itself, but when it came to cars and engines, he had no clue. He sighed in frustration and took his cell phone out of his pocket, quickly dialing information. The operator gave Heero the number to S/M Towing, Repair and Salvage, and he made the call, forcefully pushing each button in frustration.

No more than fifteen minutes passed as Heero waited, leaning on the bumper of his car, until a large white truck pulled up in front of Heero. On its side, in royal green script, was the emblem of the company. Loud music raged from the truck, the booming bass causing Heero's chest to vibrate. It stopped suddenly as the driver got out and jumped from the truck.

Heero blinked at the man that walked towards him. There was nothing extraordinary about him; he was average height and of medium build. His eyes were hidden behind sunglasses and he wore the stereotypical faded blue mechanic jumpsuit. But what caught Heero's eye was the hair - a long auburn braid trailed from the man's head, drifting down to hang at his rear end. It glinted in the artificial sun of the colony, shining like brown silk.

"Having some trouble?"

Knocked out of his thoughts, Heero nodded and stepped aside to let the man do his job.

The man walked forward and peered under the hood, waving his hand in an attempt to clear the steam as Heero had done. "Well that doesn't look good," he said. He leaned over the car and began tweaking certain parts, checking gages and perusing every crevice. He took several deep breaths, smelling the burning odor that wafted from the automobile. After several minutes, he looked up. "It looks like your engine is shot. I'm going to need a few new parts to fix it, though you're going to be hard pressed to find them because of how old this model is..."

"Great," Heero replied sarcastically, rubbing his temples where a headache was forming.

The mechanic laughed; it was a thick, happy sound that tugged at something familiar within Heero. "Don't worry buddy, my salvage yard probably has those parts lying around somewhere. And if I don't have it I can sure as hell find it." He began wiping his hands on a rag he produced from his pocket. "I can definitely fix it but I'll have to tow it to my yard and it'll probably take a day or two. Maybe a little more if I have to order the parts."

Heero nodded.

Smiling, the man lowered the hood to Heero's car and slammed it shut. "It's not so bad, I can give you a ride home if you need it. Though tomorrow you'll be on your own," he added, "so I suggest checking the metro for buses that go to the Preventer Headquarters."

Heero looked up, surprised.

The man laughed again, taking off his sunglasses as he did so. Heero found himself staring at those eyes – a deep violet that reflected the jovial spirit behind them. "Your briefcase," the man said simply, pointing to the passenger seat where Heero's briefcase sat. The stylistic, and commonly known "P" shown from its corner.

"Oh." Heero couldn't pry his gaze from those eyes.

"I'm Duo Maxwell, by the way. The 'M' in 'S/M'," the man said, holding out his now clean hand.

Heero reached out and shook it. "Heero Yuy."

"Nice to meet you Heero." Duo smiled once more and something jolted through Heero, a slight electric tingle he couldn't explain. "So do you need a ride?"

Heero sighed and looked down at his dead car. "I guess so," he said.

Duo set to work hooking up Heero's car to the tow truck while Heero filled out the necessary paperwork, and once it was snuggly in place, they both climbed into the front seat. The truck smelled heavily of fast food and grease, and Heero noted the many papers and tools littering the dashboard and floor. He settled into the seat as Duo started the engine. The music immediately blasted into the air and seeing Heero wince, Duo quickly turned it down. "Sorry," he hastily apologized.

Heero looked over at him and managed to smile. "It's ok." Duo grinned back at him. "It's good music," he added.

Duo beamed and Heero thought he felt his heart pause. "You like it? It's-"

"Momento," Heero said, finishing the sentence for him. "I like them."

Duo looked surprised for a moment before a large smile crawled across his features. "You know them? A stand up Preventer like you likes heavy alternative?"

"Yeah, since their second album," Heero replied, oddly pleased with himself that he could surprise this stranger.

Laughing, Duo turned the music up a little. "Have you ever seen them live?"

Heero shook his head. "No."

"Aww you're missing out. They're just as good live as they are on disc. Better, I think. I went when they did their colony tour last year." He laughed again. "The lead singer pulled an audience member onto the stage and sang to her before she did a stage dive and busted her nose open."

A quiet chuckle rolled from Heero's mouth.

"She was a friend of mine," Duo added with a smirk.

Heero's eyebrows shot upwards. "Really?"

"Yeah, I went with her and couple other friends. Her little stunt got us backstage," Duo sniggered.

"Lucky," Heero replied.

The beat and lyrics vibrated between them, Duo's head nodding in time and Heero smiling despite himself. He found the frustration that had built up over the past hour was slowly dissipating as he sat next to Duo, listening to the music. It was as if it didn't matter that he would need to take the bus to work for a few days, or that he would probably be facing a few thousand dollars worth of repairs for his car. The tension eased from him and it didn't matter that there had been such a hiccup in his routine.

Heero gave directions when needed and before the end of the second song, they were pulling up beside his apartment building. He hesitated for a moment, almost not wanting to get out of the truck. He looked over at Duo. "Thanks for the ride."

"No problem," Duo said, that bright smile across his face. He leaned forward and opened the glove compartment, shuffling through a pile of papers before pulling out a small card and handing it to Heero. "Here. That's the number to the office and that-" he pointed to the second number on the card, "is my personal cell. Give me a call tomorrow and I'll have an update on your car."

"Thanks," Heero said, pocketing the business card. He opened the door and stepped out of the truck.

"Talk to you later," Duo called after him.

Heero waved back as Duo drove away, his mind in a haze.


	2. Chapter TWO

Heero walked into his office and nodded at Wufei, who immediately handed him a stack of files. "You're late," Wufei said, a tinge of surprise lacing his voice. Heero had never been late to work in all his years of knowing him. "Une wants us in her office for a briefing," he told Heero, and the two of them turned from their desks and made their way down the hall. Looking at his coworker, Wufei's amazement heightened. "You're rather cheerful this morning."

Heero sighed. "I had to take the bus this morning."

"The bus? The bus puts you in a good mood..." Wufei turned his head to stare at his friend as they walked, curious about the other man's unusual behavior.

"No," Heero chuckled, "My car broke down last night."

"Did you have to call roadside assistance?"

"I called S/M Towing. The mechanic was really nice – he gave me a ride home. He said I probably need a new engine-"

"Mechanic?"

Heero nodded. "Duo Maxwell."

Wufei stared at him, eyes a little wider than they should have been. Heero thought he saw something like worry flash across his friend's face, but Wufei quickly turned his gaze to the files in his hands. "How long until you have your car back?" he asked, shifting the conversation.

"I have to call Duo this afternoon to see."

Wufei nodded, still purposefully focused on the papers in front of him. They turned down another hallway and finally reached their boss's office. Heero raised his fist and rapped on the door, waiting for the usual "Come in," before entering.

Lady Une sat behind her desk, busily typing on her laptop. She looked up as the two men came through her door and gave them a small smile. Her brown hair hung neatly to her shoulders and her hazel eyes shown brightly from behind sleek spectacles. She wore her usual skirt suit, today's color being a rich maroon that brought out her eyes. "Chang, Yuy, thank you for coming."

The two men bowed and took their seats on the opposite side of Une's desk.

"Let's get right to it, shall we?" She glanced between them, a solemn look washing over her face. "I want you to keep searching for members of the Earthling Revolutionary Army. Sources say they're planning another attack on the L4 resource station and apparently one of their members is an insider on the station. We need to find out who it is and stop that attack before it happens."

Heero scanned the paperwork Wufei had handed him. "Has there been any confirmation on who supplied their mobile suits?"

"No," Une answered. "We're speculating a mobile suit plant on an L5 colony, but nothing is definite."

"We need to find out for sure," Heero said, "so we can cut off that supply."

"Which is why we need to discover the identities of E.R.A.'s key players. Finding out who they are will lead us to what connections the group has."

Heero and Wufei nodded.

"How are repairs going at the L1 colony that was attacked?" Wufei asked.

"Not well," Une said heavily, "Every time construction begins to make serious progress, there is an explosion or power outage or some kind of _accident_ to bring everything to a stand still. There's no proof, but it's obvious the E.R.A. is determined not to let the colony rebuild."

"So they have some connections there," Heero said.

Une nodded. "They must have. E.R.A. is well organized and their members are mere phantoms. They've already attacked the residential wing of L1, the L4 resource satellites, and the Preventers base in the L5 cluster. I've heightened security around L3 and here on L2, but from what we saw when they attacked L1, their mobile suit fleet is well equipped and the pilots that man them are highly trained in battle."

"And they still maintain they are fighting to purify Earth and space," Heero stated sardonically.

Une nodded again. "They really want to disband – destroy, actually – the ESUN, or at least separate the colonies from it." She looked at Wufei. "We're getting to the breaking point. If we don't make progress soon, the Preventers will need to take desperate measures."

Wufei stared back at her, understanding passing between them.

"So go get to work," she finally said.

Heero and Wufei stood, bowed, and left to return to their office.

- - - - -

Finger poised over the 'Send' button, Heero stared at his phone. It was late in the afternoon and he was on a short break when he had decided to make the call. A strange nervousness flowed over him at the thought of calling Duo. He just needed to know whether or not his car was fixable, but something made him want to talk about something more. He didn't know why he was feeling like this; there was no reason to be so anxious. Duo was just a mechanic and Heero just needed his car repaired.

He hesitantly pushed the button and initiated the call. The phone rang for a few moments before the familiar voice came on the line.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Duo?" Heero said, almost choking on the lump in his throat.

"Who's this?"

"It's Heero Yuy, you towed my car yesterday?"

"Oh, hi!" A tone came over Duo's voice that told Heero he must be smiling. "Glad you called."

Heero couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, I... was just wondering about my car..."

"Oh..." Duo's voice faltered, as if he hadn't been expecting Heero to ask about his car right away. But he recovered quickly. "Yeah, it's all ready."

"Really?"

"Yep, I replaced the engine and fine tuned a few things. It's all set to go. You can come down and get it anytime."

"Ok. Well I guess I'll be there after I get off work," Heero replied. Another surge of apprehension rushed through him at the thought of seeing Duo again. Why was he reacting like this?

"Great!" Duo said, that happy tone returning to his disembodied voice. "I'll see you later, then."

Heero nodded, forgetting for a moment that the other man couldn't see the movement, and said "Ok, bye."

"Bye."

Heero waited for the click that told him Duo had hung up before he flipped his own phone closed. A heavy sigh escaped him and he reluctantly returned to work, hoping the afternoon would yield some progress in his search for the terrorist faction members.

- - - - -

Heero stared out the window and watched the streets pass as the bus carried him to the salvage yard. The route felt strangely familiar – he noticed the park, shops and buildings as they swooshed past, almost as if he knew which would come next.

Finally the bus made its way to the right street and stopped just a block away from where his car was waiting for him. Just a block away from Duo.

Taking in a deep breath, he walked up to the salvage yard office and walked in, a bell twinkling as he went through the door. A woman with dark hair and strong blue eyes stood behind the service counter, busily typing on a desktop computer. She looked up as Heero approached.

"May I help... you..." A stunned look passed over the woman's face. Heero thought he saw recognition fill her eyes. And something else – was it fear? He frowned at her and she shook her head, as if to collect herself. She smiled then, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "May I help you?" she repeated, her voice more composed this time.

"Yeah I'm looking for Duo. I talked to him earlier and he said my car's ready."

The woman turned back to her computer and began typing. "Oh yes, Mr. Yuy?" She glanced up to see him nod, and then returned to examining his file on the screen. "Yes it's ready. Just let me print your receipt..."

Heero glanced at the total before handing her his credit card. Thankfully it wasn't going to cost him as much as he thought. After handling the transaction, the woman walked around the counter and took a set of keys from the wall. "Just follow me."

He did and a few minutes later he found himself walking through the salvage yard. He looked around as they passed large piles of mechanical scrap, old rusted cars and even what Heero identified as aged mobile suit parts. Turning the corner, they entered another part of the yard that was clearly sectioned off for car repairs. Heero quickly spotted his dark green sedan a few yards away.

Two cars down, bent under the hood of a beat up pick up truck, was Duo. He wore a loose pair of dingy blue jeans and an oil stained t-shirt. His braid hung down his back, falling over his side to dangle just above the engine. Heero's eyes trailed over the lithe form and greedily drank it in. He caught himself staring and quickly turned away as heat rushed to his cheeks.

"Duo!" The woman called out and Duo immediately shot up, violently banging his head on the raised hood of the pick up. A loud curse echoed throughout the yard and Heero couldn't hold back a smile. The woman laughed and walked forward, Heero in tow.

Rubbing the fresh bump on the back of his head, Duo glared at the woman. "Hilde, I told you not to do that!"

"Sorry," the woman, Hilde, apologized, though she continued to giggle. "Mr. Yuy is here to get his car."

Duo looked up and a genuine smile came across his features. "Hey, Heero!"

"Hi," Heero replied, unable to manage anything more.

The three of them stood looking at each other as several awkward moments of silence passed. Heero and Duo's eyes were fixed on each other and Hilde glanced back and forth between them. When she couldn't stand it any longer, she cleared her throat. "Well. I guess I'll just... go back to the office. Let me know when you're done with Mr. Beck's truck, Duo, he wants to be called immediately."

"Ok," Duo replied, eyes not leaving Heero's.

Hilde took one last look at each of them and walked away, leaving the two men to continue staring at each other.

"So..." Heero motioned behind him, "My car?"

Duo blinked and shook himself out of his reverie. "Oh, yeah. Here." Duo led Heero over to his car and pulled up the hood, showing him the replaced engine underneath. He watched with a smile as Heero's eyes widened upon seeing the shiny new machinery.

"That's brand new," Heero said, "The receipt said the part was two years old."

"Yeah," Duo said shyly, rubbing his head again. "I didn't have the right engine, so I used this one. I've had it for a few months and wasn't doing anything with it, so I figured I might as well put it to use." Seeing Heero about to protest, Duo pressed on. "I'm not trying to get more money out of you or anything, so calm down, buddy. Your car's kind of dated and I didn't have any parts from that year. This one fit, so I used it. No extra charge."

Heero eyed the engine, then Duo. "What's the catch?" he asked suspiciously.

Duo smiled and glanced around the yard, hesitant to answer. "Alright you got me. Go to dinner with me," he said, grin widening.

Heero's eyebrows shot to his hairline. "Dinner? What? Tonight?"

"No no," Duo laughed, "I've got to finish that truck, so I'll be working late tonight. But sometime this week."

Heero was quiet for a moment, weighing the notion in his mind. Part of him reeled in excitement at the idea of going to dinner with Duo, interested in the possibilities such a situation held. Another part of him twisted in a bundle of nerves at the same thought. "Dinner," he said.

"Dinner."

"What? Like a date?"

Duo managed to look slightly embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to assume you were-"

"Ok," Heero said quickly.

Duo beamed. "Great! I'm not sure when I'll be free, my schedule is a little erratic. Is it ok if I call you? I have your number on file," he laughed.

Heero nodded and felt himself smiling. That smile didn't leave his face for the rest of the day.


	3. Chapter THREE

"You _what_?"

"It's just dinner, Wufei."

Heero sat across from his Chinese coworker, both of them enjoying their respective lunches. Heero took bite of his turkey sandwich and mentally sighed as Wufei put his spoon back in his soup, getting ready for what Heero was sure was a full winded protest.

Shaking his head, Heero spoke before Wufei had a chance to chastise his decision. "It's just dinner," he repeated. "What do you think's going to happen?"

"Well you don't even know him, for one thing. He's just a mechanic."

Heero smiled. "That's usually the point of going out, Wufei – to get to know the person."

"So, what? It's a date?"

"I guess so, yeah." Heero took another bite of his sandwich before taking a long swig from his water bottle.

Wufei raised an eyebrow and finally returned to eating his soup. He let out a heavy sigh. "What about Relena?"

Heero snorted. "I keep telling you – _and_ her – that that's not going to happen."

"She's always liked you-"

"I'm not interested," Heero said firmly.

"But you're interested in Duo," Wufei said, not making it a question.

"Yes, I am." Heero didn't say anything more. He wasn't going to tell Wufei about how being around Duo made him feel – as if all his trained resolve was stripped away and the world was full of the unexplored. Duo made him feel like nothing in his life mattered, making him want to throw it all away just to see what life Duo could show him. Relena was his friend, but she never came close to making him feel like that.

"You're going to go no matter what I say, aren't you?" Wufei frowned, knowing the answer.

Heero nodded, taking the last bite of his sandwich.

- - - - -

The apartment was silent except for the soft clacking of the keys as Heero typed away on his laptop. He didn't like taking his work home with him, but some nights it was unavoidable. They had made little progress in searching for E.R.A. members and Une's patience was wearing thin. Field agents had, however, salvaged some mobile suit debris that still drifted around L1, and were able to track the scrap back to one of the lunar factories. In doing so, Wufei was able to discover several E.R.A. supporters. But they were still no closer to identifying the group's leaders, much less any closer to putting a stop to their terrorism.

Heero paused his work for a moment, letting out a long sigh and taking a sip of coffee. His mind began to wander, and as they had done several times in the past hour, his thoughts drifted towards Duo.

It had been two days since Heero had picked up his car and the automobile was working perfectly. No more stalling, no more noises, no more problems. He would swear it was running more smoothly than it had before it had even begun having trouble. Duo had yet to call, and every evening Heero found himself in his lonely apartment, watching the phone that never rang. He began to think Duo wasn't going to call and the thought spurred an unfamiliar ache within him. Although the thought of actually going out on a date with Duo scared the hell out of him, he also wanted it terribly.

He thought of those deep violet eyes and that long silken braid. He thought of running his hands through that hair and wondered if it was as soft as it looked...

Heero jumped as a loud ring blasted through the quiet apartment. He blinked around for a moment, not realizing until the ring sounded again that it was his phone. Quickly rising from his desk, he reached for the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, buddy!"

Heero's heart leapt. "Duo, hi."

"Ready for dinner?" Duo asked, that smile carrying over his voice.

"Now?"

"I'm outside and I've got burgers, so get your ass down here."

"You're what?" Heero walked over to the window, stretching the phone cord as far as it could go. He peered through the blinds and just as he said he was, Duo stood on the street below, leaning against a large black motorcycle, cell phone held to his ear and waving up him.

"Hey there," Duo said over the phone. Heero watched as he pointed behind him, motioning towards the motorcycle. "Got dinner in the pouch, you coming or not?"

Heero smiled. "I'll be right down."

Grabbing his keys, Heero rushed out the door, hastily locking it and bolting down the stairs. As he emerged from the building, Duo stood up and tossed him a helmet. "Climb on," Duo said as he did so himself. "Have you ever ridden a motorcycle before?"

Heero shook his head. "No," he said as he put on the helmet and sat down behind Duo.

"Well, just hold on," Duo told him, his voice muffled from underneath his own helmet.

Heero cautiously snaked his arms around Duo's waist, taking a moment to savor the warmth of their bodies pressed against each other. The moment was all too brief though, as Duo revved the motorcycle and sped off down the street. Heero had never been on a motorcycle before and the whipping of wind past his ears and the roar of the engine was intoxicating; it was thrilling to be shooting down the street with nothing but a saddle beneath him and Duo in front of him. It was comforting, and strangely, yet delightfully, familiar.

"Where are we going?" Heero shouted, once the initial excitement subsided.

Duo turned his head so Heero could hear him better. "You'll see!"

They drove on, winding their way though the neighborhood and out into the main streets of the colony. The streetlights blurred as they zoomed by and within minutes, Duo was turning the motorcycle down a street where the lights weren't so bright. A few more turns and Heero saw they were entering the park. Trees began dotting the road, growing thicker as they went on. Finally Duo pulled the bike to the curb and took off his helmet.

Heero copied his movements, reluctantly releasing his grasp on Duo's waist. Duo opened the compartment under their seats and they put their helmets away. Taking out a blanket and a large sack that smelled strongly of fried food, Duo smiled at Heero. "Ready for a picnic?"

A small grin crept across Heero's face and he followed Duo into the park. They walked for several minutes, until Duo stopped a few hundred yards from the wall of the colony. He set the sack on the ground before fanning the blanket out upon the grass. Once the scene was set, Duo threw himself down on the blanket and made himself comfortable. Looking up, Heero saw why Duo had chosen the spot - to enhance the scenic atmosphere of the park, the colony constructors had installed a large window, several hundred feet in size, that allowed a clear view of the stars beyond. Heero was struck for a moment, staring at its beauty.

"Hey," Duo said from below him. Heero felt a quick tug on his pants leg and looked down at Duo, directing his eyes from one glorious view to another. Duo lay sprawled on the blanket, his braid trailing like a snake beside him. He propped himself up on his elbows and looked up at Heero. "Sit with me."

Heero did, and Duo set about dispersing the food. He handed Heero a carton of french fries, a thick hamburger and a large bottle of cola. Heero smiled as Duo immediately sunk his teeth into his own burger.

"So," Duo said, disturbing the silence through a mouthful of food, "how did you like your first ride?"

Heero swallowed the fries he had been chewing and looked at the man beside him. "It was... interesting."

Duo laughed. "You have quite the way with words there, Heero."

They were quiet for another long moment before Heero spoke up, his curiosity about Duo getting the better of him. "Where are you from?"

"Here," Duo smiled. "Well, as far as I know my parents were US immigrants, but I was born here, in the slums off Third Street, actually."

"As far as you know?"

"I'm an orphan," Duo said nervously, "I grew up at the Maxwell Church Orphanage." A worried look passed over Duo's face, as if he expected Heero to reject him.

Instead, seeing Duo's obvious discomfort, Heero changed the subject. "How long have you worked at the salvage yard?"

"A few years," Duo replied, clearly happy for the new topic. "I've worked in the salvage business for a long time but Hilde and I only started S/M about five years ago."

Heero nodded.

"What about you?" Duo asked. "Where are you from and how long have you worked for the Preventers?"

Heero swallowed the last of his hamburger before answering. "Grew up on L1, but ethnically speaking I _think_ I'm Japanese. I've worked for the Preventers for about six years now."

"You 'think' you're Japanese?"

"I'm an orphan too," Heero replied flatly.

Duo smiled back at him.

The conversation flowed throughout the night as they ate their dinner and enjoyed the view. The stars twinkled above them. The air was still and quiet. The only sounds in the entire park were that of the two voices that sporadically broke into laughter. Heero and Duo smiled at each other and by the time the talking died down, it was past midnight.

Duo drove them back to Heero's apartment, Heero once again tightly wrapping his arms around Duo and thoroughly enjoying the position. A silent groan filled him as they pulled up next to his apartment building. He didn't want the night to end.

As he got off the bike and handed Duo the spare helmet, their eyes met and Heero was held captivated. He felt like he was drowning in those violet orbs. Duo caught him staring and chuckled, turning away as a tinge of red touched his cheeks. Before Heero could stop himself, he blurted out, "Do you want to come up?"

Duo's head snapped back and they stared at each other again. A beaming smile spread across Duo's face and he nodded. "Sure."

- - - - -

Heero opened the door and Duo walked in behind him. He stopped just inside the doorway, looking around and taking in everything in the apartment. Heero's two bedroom apartment was simply decorated and well lit. The spare bedroom was used as his office, keeping the rest of the place free of any clutter. The furniture was simple, and matching drapes were all that donned the walls. "Nice place," he said before turning to face Heero.

"Thanks." Heero smiled at him and closed the door. "You want a drink or something?"

"Sure."

But Heero made no movement to the kitchen. Their eyes fixed on each other and in a quick, almost desperate movement, Duo's lips were on Heero's. Heero froze, his mind shocked into numbness.

Feeling Heero tense, Duo pulled away. "I'm sorry, I-"

Heero cut him off, fiercely crushing his mouth to Duo's. His hands sneaked up to cup Duo's face, as Duo's arms wrapped themselves around Heero's body, hands pressing against his back. The kiss deepened and tongues darted out to explore. Heat rushed to Heero's skin and he leaned closer into Duo, as if he could mold their bodies together.

A savage lust was filling Heero, a strange hunger he had never felt before. He ran his fingers through that auburn mass, noting that it was indeed as soft as it appeared. As he kissed Duo still harder, he couldn't help but feel how right this was. Nothing had ever felt so right. And as they stood there, expressing their desires through kiss, the world around them seemed to melt away. Heero rode the sensation that always seemed to come when he was in Duo's presence – nothing else mattered.

The men continued to kiss, the heat rising between them. Heero began inching his way to the bedroom, dragging Duo along, their tongues still dancing. Duo's hands set to work on the buttons of his shirt, pulling it off his shoulders as the last button gave way. The kiss was broken for a moment as Duo raised his arms so Heero could drag off his shirt. They wasted no time before returning to devouring each other. The new touch of bare skin against his own sent a tingle down Heero's spine and he kissed Duo with renewed vigor.

They finally reached the bedroom and Heero felt the back of his knees hit the bed. Sinking down, he pulled Duo with him and within moments they rid themselves of their clothes and were completely entangled with each other.

It was Duo who pulled away, gazing intently into Heero's dark blue eyes. "You sure you want to do this?" he asked, his voice raspy with shortness of breath.

Heero resumed the kiss, pouring his answer over Duo's tongue. He had never been surer of anything in his life.


	4. Chapter FOUR

It was six am and the alarm cut into the silence of the apartment. Heero jerked awake and quickly slammed the alarm off, returning the room to the usual calm. He rolled onto his back and looked up at the ceiling. A soft breathing came from beside him and he looked over to see Duo sound asleep. The sleeping man lay on his stomach, slack face turned towards Heero, hair messily coming loose from his braid.

Heero smiled, happily remembering the events of the night before. His eyes drank in the sight of Duo sleeping naked beside him. He hadn't wanted the night to end and now he didn't want the day to begin – he was loath to go to work and leave Duo's side. Duo sighed and rolled over, pulling Heero from his thoughts. He glanced at the clock and knew he needed to get going. Slowly, and very hesitantly, he slid from the bed, careful not to wake Duo, and set about getting ready for work.

Before leaving for the day, Heero went back to the bedroom where Duo was still fast asleep. He leaned over and laid a gentle kiss on the braided man's forehead.

Duo stirred, a sleepy smile forming on his lips. "Have a good day," he whispered.

Heero grinned. "Thanks," he whispered back, "Be here when I get home?"

"Of course," Duo replied quietly, his eyes still comfortably closed.

With that, Heero left for work, grin still plastered to his face.

- - - - -

Wufei, of course, noticed Heero's unusual mood and questioned him about it. "What did you do?" he asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," Heero lied.

"Bullshit, nothing. You don't work all day with a silly grin on your face for 'nothing'."

Heero chuckled, unable to stop himself.

"And you're giggling! What's wrong with you?" Wufei eyed him, as if trying to read his coworker's mind. And as if his attempts had worked, his eyes widened. "You had dinner with Duo didn't you?"

Heero quickly turned away and focused on his computer screen.

"You did! Heero, I told you that was a bad idea-"

"Why?" Heero demanded, turning from the computer and glaring at his friend. "Why was it such a bad idea? We had a good time."

"It's just..." Wufei struggled to find a reason Heero would accept. Failing, he simply said, "It just is."

"That's what I thought," Heero said triumphantly, returning to his work.

"Just be careful," Wufei said from behind him.

Heero smiled and continued working. He wanted to get the day over with. Not only because he wanted to get away from Wufei and all his warnings, but because of what awaited him at home. He imagined Duo naked in his bed, sleeping late into the day. Or showering in his shower, walking around his apartment, maybe watching his TV. Visualizing all this, he ached to get home and join his new lover.

He looked up at the clock and grimaced. Six hours to go.

- - - - -

"The lunar base that was supplying suits to E.R.A. has been shut down," Une told the room.

Wufei, Heero, Sally Po and three Preventer field agents sat around the conference table as Une walked around them, passing out their briefing. It was late in the afternoon and Heero was exhausted. He had been forced to skip lunch that day because of all the work they had to do, and his mind kept wandering home to Duo. Shaking himself, he forced his attention to Lady Une.

"There were five suit developers that were supporters of E.R.A. and supplying them with mobile suits," Une said. "They have all been questioned and all claim not to know who the group's leaders are. Their story was consistent – they were in contact with a group calling themselves the Marshals, but that doesn't give us much to go on. And though Chang has searched every database for anyone or any group by that name or using that alias, nothing has turned up."

Une walked around the table and picked up the controller for the ceiling projector. Clicking it on, she turned to the wall where a large picture of a space station was now projected. Everyone focused on the picture and listened as their boss continued her speech.

"The L4 resource satellite is thought to be the next target for E.R.A. but I've informed the Winner family and they have enlisted some special forces as extra security." She clicked the controller and the picture on the wall change to one of the L1 colony, specifically the mangled residential wing. "Construction was halted again on L1 this afternoon – several explosions hit the site, killing sixteen construction workers and injuring forty three others. The good news is that Ms Po and her team caught three men as they were trying to escape the site just before the explosions went off, and its been discovered they are E.R.A. members."

"Have they been interrogated yet?" one of the field agents asked.

"No," Sally answered him. "We haven't gotten to that yet."

"Actually," Une continued, "I'm sending you, Kelso and Thomas down to do that this evening. Ms Po will go with you. The men are being transported here as we speak and should arrive around five o'clock. Meanwhile, Chang, I need you to find out who these men really are and gather their background information. I'm sure the names they've given us are fakes, but here is what we have on them from the initial questioning." She handed Wufei three thin manila folders.

Wufei briefly flipped through the first file. "Shouldn't be hard, I'll just scan their pictures and see if I can find facial recognition matches in the system."

Une nodded at him before turning to Heero. "Yuy, continue your own search for the E.R.A. leaders. We need to know who and where they are as soon as possible. I don't want to have to call in the reinforcements."

Heero wasn't sure what she meant by 'reinforcements', but he nodded in acceptance of his task.

"Ok," Une said finally. "Everyone knows their job, so go do it."

Everyone rose from their seats and left the conference room. Heero flipped through the file in his hand as he walked back to his office, and scanned the small type on each page. He sighed in frustration – he was going to be working late tonight.

- - - - -

Heero's fingers fumbled with the keys, desperately trying to insert the proper one into the keyhole. As he dropped the whole chain of them and let out a grunt of frustration, the door to his apartment swung open, revealing a casually clad, and brilliantly smiling Duo. "Welcome home," said the cheerful voice. Heero looked up and grinned as he swiped up the keys and followed the other man into the apartment.

A broad grin curled across his face, Duo pulled Heero into a welcome hug and planted a tender, yet firm, kiss on his lips. Heero happily responded, tightening the hug and basking in the glow of the moment. When they pulled away, the two smiled at each other.

"You have mail," Duo said, passing a pile of envelopes to Heero from the mantle near the door.

As Heero began stripping his business attire and scanning his mail, Duo bounded off to the kitchen to finish tending the pasta he had prepared for their dinner. The smell of it permeated the apartment, drifting through every room and filling Heero's nostrils.

He closed his eyes and inhaled a deep, creamy smell he knew must be some sort of alfredo. He smiled, still flipping through the mail. Junk, junk, bill, junk, letter from Relena, bill, junk, bill... Heero paused and stared at the last envelope. His eyes scanned the stylistic emblem that read Banfield Self Storage Inc. in fanciful red lettering. He double checked and it was indeed addressed to him, so he quickly opened it, discarding the rest of the mail on the coffee table as he passed.

His eyes speedily read over the document, confirming it was indeed a bill. But he didn't recognize the company, nor did he ever remember renting a storage unit. He looked at the top of the bill and found the heading that read his full name and address. Further down it even had his credit card number and the amount withdrawn from his account. Surveying the paper, he noted the initial charge date – over two months ago. Frowning, he trailed Duo into the kitchen.

Duo looked up as he entered the room and smiled at the other man. He was standing over a large pot of pasta, busily stirring the steaming food. "What's wrong?" he asked, noticing Heero's distressed face.

"I got a bill from a storage unit," Heero replied. "I don't have a storage unit."

Duo frowned and watched Heero grabbed the phone from the wall and, sitting down at the kitchen table, began dialing the number to Banfield Storage. While Heero made his phone call, Duo continued busily making dinner. The timer on the oven dinged and Duo quickly took out the chicken and let it cool on the stove. Lazily dashing seasoning on the chicken, Duo then drained the pasta and split the amount between two plates. He placed a large piece of chicken on top of each plate of noodles, and then, after stirring the sauce one more time, he poured the Alfredo over each platter. By the time he carried both dishes to the kitchen table, Heero was done with his phone call.

The cheesy garlic aroma floated around them and the thick smell of homemade food made Heero smile. He looked up at Duo as he finished setting up their dinner. "Thank you."

Duo's face split into a satisfied grin. "You're welcome. What did you find out about that storage place?"

"They said basically what the bill said. I told them I never opened a storage unit but they have all my information in their system. I want to go check it out..."

They looked at each other and it was if Duo could read the other man's mind. "We'll go after dinner, I didn't spend all day on it for nothing."

Heero smiled and they ate their meal over passive conversation.

- - - - -

"So you lost the key?"

"No I -" Heero glared at the young man behind the service desk. He had already explained to the boy that he had never opened a storage unit, and never had a key. But the boy wasn't listening. Tired, he decided on a different approach. "Yes I lost my key."

"Ok, can I see your ID?"

Heero handed over his license and the boy eyed it before typing his information into the computer. A few moments later, the boy handed Heero a spare key and he and Duo were traversing the isles of storage units, look for number 623.

It took a while to find the right unit, and when they did, Heero couldn't do much more than stand and stare at the orange painted door. Duo looked back and for between the door and Heero, wondering why his lover was pausing. Heero looked back at him, uncertainty in his eyes. Duo smiled and took the keys from Heero's limp hand, and moved to unlock the door. It swung open with a loud rattling, and two months worth of dust was swept into the air.

As the light crept into the darkened space, Heero took a step forward to see the room's contents. The room smelled heavily of mold and the air was thick with dust. Several boxes lay heaped in the corner and a large trash bag leaned against the tower. Duo walked in and began surveying the items. Heero hung back, tentatively glaring at the storage space and what it held.

Duo looked back at him. "I don't want to go through your stuff, buddy."

Silently, Heero moved forward and opened the first box. He pulled out several journals and began flipping through them. He recognized the handwriting as his own but did not find the journals themselves or the entries familiar. He scanned a few pages, reading a short paragraph that began a hefty description of a trip to Japan. He noticed Duo was named, as well as some other names Heero didn't recognize. He had never been to Japan and never heard of these other characters. What was going on?

"Is this a joke?"

Duo's question grabbed Heero's attention and he looked up to see Duo frowning at him. "What?"

Duo passed him a pile of photographs he had been sifting through and Heero felt a cold shock run through him. The first picture depicted Heero himself, a broad grin slapped across his face, standing next to Duo. A happy faced Boxer sat at their feet, its tongue hanging lazily out of its mouth. Next to Heero stood Wufei, and next to him stood two other men Heero had never seen before, though somehow felt familiar with.

He turned to the next photo and frowned. The picture showed Heero hugging the Boxer from the previous photo, a genuinely happy smile across his face and a lazy, tongue lolling grin on the dog's. He began rapidly flipping through the pictures, seeing smiling faces – those of himself and of strangers. Returning to the group photo, he turned to Duo.

"Do you recognize any of these other people?"

"Yeah," Duo replied, suspicion and confusion lacing his voice. He pointed to the dog, "That's my dog Nio..." He pointed to the two men that stood next to Wufei. "Those are my friends Trowa and Quatre.." He pointed to Wufei. "I don't know him personally, but he's another one of the Gundam pilots, isn't he? Why do you have a picture with us all together like that?"

"I don't know!" Heero answered quickly, his thoughts racing with bafflement. He looked closer at the picture and at the two men named Trowa and Quatre. "They were Gundam pilots as well, weren't they?"

Duo nodded. "Do you know the other guy?"

It was Heero's turn to nod. "That's Wufei, he works at the Preventer's office with me..." Something then occurred to Heero. How adamant Wufei had been against him dating Duo, the strange ways he edited files before giving them to Heero to work on... Wufei knew something. And here, seeing the Chinese man smiling politely with the group for the photo, he had proof that Wufei would have some answers. "I think we should go see Wufei," he told Duo.

Still perusing the box of photographs that depicted scenes he never remembered experiencing, Duo absently nodded.

The two quickly emptied the storage unit and loaded the boxes and bag (which they had discovered contained several items of clothing) into the trunk of Heero's car. Heero had too many questions to wait – they were heading straight for Wufei's apartment.


	5. Chapter FIVE

Heero pounded on the door for several minutes before Wufei managed to answer it. The door swung open to reveal him looking tired and disheveled, and still dressed in his work attire. He blinked at the two men before him; first glaring at Heero for disturbing him so late, then wincing as he saw Duo standing behind him, carrying a large cardboard box.

"What's..." was all he managed to get out before Heero pushed his way into the apartment, Duo tentatively trailing after him.

Wufei turned to follow the two men into his living room, closing the door behind him. Wufei's simple one bedroom apartment was decorated with the kind of modern motif that dictated all furniture be made of dark leather and glass. The floors were of simple gray carpet and the walls held few garnishments. To him it felt comfortable, to visitors it often seemed unwelcoming. But the two intruders took no notice and immediately Heero took the box from Duo and turned it upside down over his coffee table. Notebooks and photos spilled onto the glassy surface and cascaded onto the floor around it.

Heero leered at the Chinese man. "What is all this stuff? All these journals and pictures?"

Wufei looked at him and a heavy sigh escaped his throat. He slowly picked up one of the photographs; it showed Duo with his arm around Wufei's shoulder, a large grin plastered across both their faces.

"That one really bothers me," Duo said flatly, crossing his arms over his chest, "Because I've never met you before in my life."

Letting out another soft sigh, Wufei sat down on the couch. "Where did you find them?" he asked nonchalantly.

Heero frowned at him. "A storage unit across town. A storage unit I don't remember renting... and it was full of journals I don't remember writing and photos I don't remember taking."

"You were suppose to burn them...." Wufei said under his breath.

"What?"

Wufei looked up at Heero with pity in his eyes. He stared for a moment and then, making up his mind, he walked over to a desk along the far wall. Opening the second drawer, he took out two folded slips of paper. He handed one to Heero and the other to Duo, knowing it would answer their questions.

Heero slowly took the paper from Wufei's outstretched hand. He unfolded it as Duo unfolded his, and began to read...

"_Dear Mister Wufei Chang,_

_On behalf of the Serenity Corporation, I would like to inform you that Heero Yuy has undertaken the procedure to have his memories modified. Per Mr. Yuy's wishes, his memories of his childhood training and the ensuing piloting of the Gundams Wing, Epyon and Wing Zero, and his involvement in the Eve Wars have been erased from his mind. Also, Mr. Yuy has had the specific experiences and memories relating to one Duo Maxwell removed from his mind as well. He has been instructed to destroy any reminders of either piloting or Mr. Maxwell, and we request that, as a friend and coworker, you do not mention any of the things listed above to Mr. Yuy ever again. Doing so could cause memory lapses and psychotic confusion._

_We thank you for your cooperation._

_Dr Brian Levitz_"

Heero reread the letter, the words unable to sink in. He glanced at Duo and the other man's pained expression told him their letters were identical. He looked to Wufei with an accusing glare. "What are these?"

Wufei seemed to take no offense to his friend's harsh tone. "I got those both in the mail about two months ago. I got the one about Duo about a week earlier than yours, though. They are exactly what they say."

"What the hell is the... 'Serenity Corporation'?" Duo asked, finally speaking up. "I've never heard of them."

"You wouldn't have," Wufei replied, returning to sit on the couch. "When you had your memories erased, the procedure eliminated any memory of the company too. If you remembered the doctor or the building or the company, it would defeat the purpose. But they're a company offering what they want to call 'Serenity of the Mind.' With a simple procedure anyone can have their memory modified and not be bothered by a painful past."

"I had my memories erased...." Heero sank into a chair near the coffee table, blankly staring at the pile of journals and photos. He picked up one of the many pictures that scattered the floor and looked at the image. It was a picture of himself standing in front of a barbecue pit, a pair of large tongs in one hand and a package of bratwurst in the other. Duo was draped over his shoulders and they both appeared extremely content.

Wufei nodded at him before looking towards Duo. "You did it first, then you." He nodded to Heero.

There was quiet then. Duo and Heero both tried to process the news while Wufei silently wondered if he was doing the right thing. He had thought this day would come, when Heero first mentioned meeting Duo again. And when he saw them at his door together, holding that box of mementos, he felt he really had no other choice.

It was Duo who finally broke the silence. His voice was low and strained when he spoke. "Why did I have my memories erased?"

Wufei looked down at his hands and began fidgeting. He wasn't sure what to say, or if it was even his place to say it. Under Duo's urging eye though, he decided to answer the man's question. "No one knows for sure, but it happened after you and Heero broke up."

The two men in question looked at him curiously. "You and Heero... were together," Wufei continued. "For a long time..."

"What do you mean 'together'?" Heero interrupted.

"You were a couple, lovers, boyfriends."

Heero and Duo blinked at each other, but Wufei continued on.

"You two were in love. You were together for a good two years before things started going badly. No one knows what happened – neither of you would tell us anything. We just know you suddenly split up. About three months or so later we all get letters in the mail saying Duo's had his memory erased and not to talk to him about it..."

"Wait, wait," Heero stopped him. "Who's 'we'?"

Wufei blinked. "All of us... me, Trowa, Quatre, Hilde, Une... You got the letter too," he added, looking at Heero.

Duo's eyes shot to Wufei's. "You know my friends?"

"We were all friends, Duo," Wufei told him, addressing the braided man as the old friend he was. "We were all Gundam pilots and we've all been close since the wars. Then something happened with you and Heero and things fell apart. Trowa and Quatre cut off all contact with Heero, like I lost contact with you."

Heero stared at Duo, while Duo reread the letter in his hands. "I was a Gundam pilot..." Duo read on. "Deathscythe?"

"That was the name of your Gundam," Wufei answered him.

"I can't believe this," Heero growled, standing up to pace the room. "How could I not remember being with someone for _two years_? And how could I not remember being a pilot? I've never been in a mobile suit in my life!"

"You have," Wufei told him calmly. "You spent the greater part of your childhood and early teens in Wing's cockpit." Wufei looked down at his folded hands and a soft, bitter laugh escaped his lips. "You were the best of us all – you were the hero. You may not remember any of it, but if it hadn't been for you, the wars would have ended a lot differently."

Heero stopped his pacing and stared at Wufei, unable to formulate a response.

There was quiet again, the three men mutely staring at each other. Heero crossed his arms and tried desperately to understand this. Duo stared blankly at the letter he still held tightly in his fingers. Wufei looked between the two others, waiting for another onslaught of questions. When the silence continued, Wufei awkwardly decided to break it. He stood and looked at the clock, noting it was past nine. "Do you guys want something to eat... something to drink?"

Heero shook his head. "No thanks." He moved forward and began stuffing the notebooks and photographs back into the box. "Probably should get going..."

Duo nodded but continued to stare at his letter.

- - - - -

Heero and Duo sat on the living room floor of Heero's apartment. They had arrived home over three hours ago and had spent the entire time sifting through the contents of the storage unit.

Duo's shoes lay cast aside near the door and he currently sat Indian style in the middle of the living room. He went through photo after photo, staring mindlessly at the scenes each depicted, not remembering a single one. Most of the pictures were of Duo himself; an extensive collection that reflected the feelings Heero once had for him.

Heero sat across from him, reading endless pages he never remembered writing. Throwing down the third notebook he had flipped through, he looked up at Duo. The other man continued looking through the photos, oblivious to the fact he was being watched. _Two years_, Heero thought,_ Did it really happen? What went wrong?_ He sighed and leaned back on his palms, shifting his gaze to stare at the ceiling. He wanted to ask Duo what his thoughts were on the subject, but instead he voiced a different question. "You really think we were Gundam pilots?"

Duo tossed aside the photos in his hand, picked up a fresh pile and began examining them. "Those letters said so..."

"You think it's all true?" Heero asked, knowing it was.

Duo looked up and eyed him. "Well look at these," he said, motioning to the pictures in his hand, "They can't be fakes. And all those journals... you said it's your handwriting."

Heero nodded, not knowing what to say.

Silence floated between them. Their eyes met and after several uneasy moments, Duo spoke the question. "What do you think happened between us?"

Heero tore his gaze from Duo's and glared at the floor. "I don't know..."

"That guy... Wufei... said we were together for two years. We must have been happy..." Duo idly fingered the toe of his sock, wanting to avoid Heero's eyes as much as Heero wanted to avoid his.

Heero nodded again. He knew he would have been happy with Duo. He had only met the other man a few days ago and already he felt completely comfortable with him. No, that was wrong. They hadn't met only a few days ago. Apparently they had met years ago. He wondered how they had met; if he had been instantly attracted to Duo like he had been that day his car broke down. He wondered how their relationship began and, even more, he wondered how it had ended. Was it really so bad as to warrant Heero having his memory of it erased? He had so many questions...

A soft rumble sounded from Duo's stomach, breaking the silence between them. Heero chuckled. "Guess we should have taken Wufei up on his offer. Let's get something to eat." He stood up and held out his hand. Duo took it and was pulled to his feet before Heero led him to the kitchen.

Ten minutes later they were lazily snacking on chips and dip, and sipping cold canned sodas.

"So what do we do now?" Duo asked, biting down on another salsa-drenched chip.

Heero shrugged. "I want to go talk to that doctor. Maybe he'll have the answers Wufei didn't."

"Yeah," Duo nodded. He took a long drink of his soda before talking again. "Do you have any idea where Serenity Corp is?"

Heero shook his head. "No, but I'm sure we can find it. If they don't have a website or aren't listed, which legally they should be, I can use my connections at the Preventers to find them."

"When do you want to go?" Duo asked, silently making it perfectly clear that he intended to go with Heero to see the man responsible for their memory modifications.

"As soon as possible," Heero said firmly, "I want answers."

Duo nodded in agreement.

Heero thought quietly for a few moments. "I think I'll call off work tomorrow. We can go first thing in the morning."

"Ok." Duo stuffed another chip into his mouth and Heero smiled at him.

Looking at Duo, admiring his silky hair and deep eyes, he wondered again what could have gone so wrong between them. Having your memory erased was such a drastic move – had it really been that bad?


	6. Chapter SIX

This fic is brought to you in part by the lovely beta reader, Lanthir Calindae. Because every writer needs a friend to say "Hey, that don't sound right."

* * *

Heero shifted his car into park and took the keys out of the ignition. He stared at the building in front of him and felt a strange trepidation growing in his gut. He glanced sideways to the man next to him. Duo sat stiffly in the passenger seat, gripping their letters in his hands.

"Ready?" Heero whispered.

Duo nodded and they both hesitantly exited the car.

When they entered the office, the secretary looked up at them with a wide smile that quickly faltered as recognition dawned. Her long blond hair was pulled into a tight pony tail at the back of her neck, and her large rimmed glasses gave her the look of an overzealous bug. "Can I help you gentlemen?" Her voice was quiet and unsteady, nerves clearly running wild.

"We want to see Dr. Levitz," Heero demanded. The frustration that had been building over the past day was showing through, despite his efforts to control it.

"Um..." She struggled to find words to pacify the angry man. "He's with a client right now..."

"We need to see him," Duo told her, stressing each word.

The girl bit her lip and after a few moments of consideration she stood from her chair. "Follow me," she told them, coming out from behind the desk and leading them down the nearby hallway. She stopped at the second door and opened it, ushering them into the small office. "Here... I'll tell him you're waiting and he'll be with you shortly."

Duo and Heero walked into the room and sat down at the two chairs that sat across from the large metal desk. The secretary left them, closing the door behind her.

Heero looked around and was thoroughly unimpressed. The office was tacky and undersized, holding just the desk, the chairs and two bulky filing cabinets that took up half the tiny space. His eyes finally landed back on Duo, who was nervously toying with the end of his extravagant braid.

"Are you ok?" Heero asked even though he was sure he knew the answer. He was reeling with anxiety himself, he imagined Duo felt quite similar.

A bitter laugh escaped Duo's lips. "Hell no," he replied.

Their eyes met and they exchanged a silent understanding. They were in the same boat – both suddenly discovering that not only were the lives they knew false, but that they both had intricately dangerous histories. Not only that, but their first meeting on the side of the highway hadn't even been their first meeting. They had had whole other lives, with tumultuous pasts... and each other. Heero again found himself wondering about his true relationship with Duo and another slew of unanswered questions erupted in his mind.

"Do you think Dr. Levitz will recognize us?" Duo asked, disturbing Heero from his thoughts.

"From how the secretary reacted when we came in," Heero said, "I think so. I would guess it's not everyday they have Gundam pilots in their office..." He felt odd referring to himself as a pilot. Having no memories of such a life, he found he was still having trouble believing it.

Duo nodded and looked to his lap where his hands fidgeted with the letters. "Why do you think we did it?"

Heero looked at his own twiddling thumbs and fought to think of something to say. "I don't know," was all he came up with.

"You think we really hurt each other _that_ bad? That neither of us could live with it?"

Shrugging, Heero looked back at Duo and met his eyes. "I really don't know."

"This dude better have some answers..."

It was Heero's turn to nod.

There were a few minutes of silence between them before Duo stood from his chair and moved to stand in front of the filing cabinets. His hand reached up to trail along the letters on one of the drawers. It read 'L-R'. Duo frowned. "Do you think he keeps files on the people whose memories he erases?" He glanced at Heero. "You think our files are in here?"

Heero opened his mouth but couldn't think of what to say, and before he could formulate a response, Duo had opened the drawer and began shuffling through the files. Heero got up to stand beside him, not sure they should be looking through the company's files, but determined to find answers at the same time.

Duo flipped over name after name and within seconds, he stopped, slowly pulling out a file entitled 'Maxwell, Duo'. He stared at it as if would burst into flames and as Heero opened another drawer to search for his own file, Duo sank back into his chair.

Heero quickly located his file in the last drawer and just as Duo had done, he eyed the manila folder as though it were the key to everything. And in essence, it was. This simple file held all the answers to his questions. It would tell him about his life – his _real_ life. He suddenly wanted to be out of that office. He wanted to be back at home where he could peruse his file in peace.

"Let's get out of here," he said, looking intently at Duo.

The other man immediately understood and nodded, again rising from his seat.

Hiding the files under their jackets, the two hastily left the office, leaving the secretary blinking after them. Back in the car, Heero threw his file on the dashboard and started the engine. Duo buckled up in the passenger seat and, unable to wait any longer, he opened his file and began reading.

- - - - -

In the spare room of Heero's apartment, Heero sat at his desk and scanned his file. Duo sat across the room on the floor, papers from his own file scattered around him. They both read in silence, taking in the knowledge held within the folders.

Heero read over his basic information sheet. His name, age, estimated birthday, height, weight were all filled out in his own handwriting. There were spaces for parental information, but those had been left blank. Both in the life he remembered and in the truth, he was an orphan.

He flipped through a few more papers before coming across a disk. It was held securely in a protective sleeve and labeled 'Initial Interview'. Instantly curious, he flipped open his laptop and stuck the disk in the drive. A sound file came up and he clicked on it.

A strange, dark voice filled the room and Duo looked up.

"This is Doctor Brian Levitz," the voice said, "Date – 17 March AC 202. Time – 11:35 am. I am sitting with Heero Yuy, who has come of his own free will to the Serenity Corporation for the process of memory modification. I have given him the client rights and regulations, and he has signed it. Do you understand the process of memory modification and your rights as a Serenity Corp client, Mr. Yuy?"

"Yes," responded Heero's voice from the laptop.

"Ok," continued Dr. Levitz, "Please tell me why you're here."

"To erase certain memories that I don't care to have anymore."

There was silence for a few moments before Dr. Levitz urged Heero's voice to go on. "I need specifics Mr Yuy, if you please."

"I want to erase all memories relating to my experience as a Gundam pilot. My training as a kid, Dr. J, the fighting, my part in the Eve Wars... everything. I also don't want to remember anything about Duo Maxwell."

Heero's disembodied voice held a bit more conviction with the last sentence, as if this was the more crucial of his reasons. Heero looked across the room at Duo, who stared curiously back at him.

"Why do you want to get rid of these memories?" Dr. Levitz's voice asked.

"My memories from the wars have done nothing but cause increasing stress. And my memories of Duo... I know he was a client of yours recently."

Dr. Levitz hesitated. "He was," he answered finally.

"So you know our history. I want my memories of him erased for the same reasons he had me erased."

"I cannot divulge his reasons, Mr. Yuy. And for the purpose of records, I need _you_ to tell me why you're here."

Heero's voice sighed. "We had a relationship. It ended badly and I'd rather just forget everything and move on."

"Why?" Dr. Levitz asked.

A hush fell over the recording again.

"Mr. Yuy," Dr. Levitz chided with frustration clear in his voice, "I know this is difficult but I need you to be as detailed as possible. The more you tell me, the easier the process will be to rid you of these painful memories. I need you to tell me everything you can remember about your relationship with Duo Maxwell – _everything_. And I need you to go over as many specifics about your experience as a pilot as you can."

By now Duo was standing in front of Heero's desk, eagerly listening to the interview. His eyes were fixed on the laptop, though Heero had an inkling that he wasn't really looking at it. The Heero on the CD and Dr. Levitz continued talking.

"We met soon after I first came to Earth with my Gundam," Heero's voice began. There was a quiet, bitter laugh, almost inaudible. "He shot me... I guess he thought I was trying to steal my own Gundam. I guess I never asked him." There were a few seconds of refreshed silence, where the only sound coming from the laptop was the crackling of the recording.

"What did you think of him, when you first met him?" Dr Levitz asked.

"I couldn't stand him."

Heero looked up at Duo and couldn't imagine himself ever disliking the other man. Duo intentionally was avoiding his gaze, eyes still blankly watching the laptop.

"He _never_ shut up," Heero's voice continued. "He'd talk for hours... While I was trying to work, while _he_ was trying to work... And if I ignored him, he would just keep talking. On and on about nothing at all. I remember thinking he was such an _idiot_. I was a Gundam pilot, I was _trying_ to fight a war and it was like he didn't care at all what was going on. I really didn't understand how he became a pilot. He was just impossibly..."

Heero didn't hear the rest. Unable to listen anymore, Duo had turned and fled from the room. Heero jumped up from the desk and dashed after him, catching him in the hallway. "Wait, Duo..."

"I have to go, I didn't call in to work and Hilde's probably wondering where I am." He jerked his arm from Heero's grasp and went to the living room. He gathered his jacket, balancing it in his hand with his file from Serenity Corp. He hastily slipped on his shoes and reached for the door.

Desperate to stop him, Heero moved in front of him, blocking his escape.

Duo glared at him. "Move."

"You can't leave," Heero said almost pleadingly. He didn't know why but he had a feeling that if he let Duo leave now, that would be it.

"Watch me."

"Why are you leaving?" Heero asked, unable to stop the rising frustration.

"I'm not going to just sit here and be insulted," Duo spat at him. "I'm _not_ an idiot."

"I don't think you're an idiot," Heero retorted.

"No, you really do." Duo pushed him aside and violently opened the door.

Heero watched as he shot across the hall and down the stairs, his braid trailing behind him. He went back into his apartment and slammed the door shut, cursing into the now empty room. He didn't understand why he was getting so angry – he understood why Duo was upset and couldn't blame him. So why was he irritated?

He went back to the spare bedroom where the recording was still playing. His own voice echoed through the room, though he wasn't listening. In a swift movement, he ejected the CD from the laptop, effectively sending the apartment into complete and uncomfortable silence.


	7. Chapter SEVEN

It was three o'clock in the afternoon before Heero finally ventured into the kitchen for something to eat. He hadn't eaten since the night before when he and Duo had snacked on chips and dip, and after hours of emptiness his stomach was grumbling in violent protest. He could just barely bring himself to care enough to numbly make himself a can of vegetable soup. A few minutes later he was looking down at his empty bowl, and he couldn't even remember eating.

He got up from the table and put the bowl in the sink, leaning against it for a moment and letting an exasperated sigh escape his lips. Why had he said those things? He couldn't imagine ever thinking Duo was an idiot. Sure he talked a lot, but since meeting Duo, Heero found that usual chatter comforting and quite often amusing. How could he have ever felt differently?

He knew how he could find the answer. But the thought of listening to the recording again caused a great trepidation to grow in him. He had a million questions pertaining to his former life, but he was afraid of what the recording would reveal.

Knowing it was inevitable, he returned to the spare bedroom, where the disk sat ominously next to his laptop. He sat down behind the desk and stared at the disk for several long moments. After more internal argument, he slid the CD into the drive. He clicked on the audio file and listened as the crackling of the recording sounded throughout the room.

"This is Doctor Brian Levitz," the doctor's voice began again, "Date – 17 March AC 202. Time – 11:35 am. I am sitting with Heero Yuy, who has come of his-"

Heero clicked on the progress bar and sped the recording forward a few minutes.

"- and on about nothing at all," Heero heard his own voice say. "I remember thinking he was such an _idiot_. I was a Gundam pilot, I was _trying_ to fight a war and it was like he didn't care at all what was going on. I really didn't understand how he became a pilot. He was just impossibly annoying."

Heero leaned back in his hair, putting his hands behind his head and sighing in frustration. He was glad Duo hadn't stayed to hear more. He hated himself for saying such things.

"And that ridiculous braid..."

Cringing, Heero bit his lip and fought the urge to shut off the recording again. But the laptop went quiet, as if the old Heero was considering his words.

After a few silent minutes, Dr. Levitz spoke. "Go on, Mr Yuy."

The Heero on the recording hesitated before continuing. "I never thought we would become friends, much less... more."

"How did that happen?" Dr. Levitz asked.

"What?"

"Tell me how your relationship developed."

Heero's voice sighed from the laptop. "We became friends from working together in the war. We had a couple missions together, hid at the same school once or twice. We saved each other's lives on several occasions. Actually we were just friends for a long time... To tell the truth, over the course of the war I became attracted to Relena."

Heero frowned. Relena Peacecraft? The girl he knew as a friend, but nothing more? He wracked his brain and suddenly images of the familiar blond woman came to mind. He remembered those feelings he had once had – the confusion she caused within him, then the fascination that grew into a sort of affection. He remembered her being kidnapped and the fear he had felt, the need to go and rescue her. He remembered being with her after the war, working as her body guard in public, being her lover in private.

The memories came back painfully and Heero forced himself to listen to the recording again.

"- and we started a relationship. I really had no idea what I was doing with her. But I knew she loved me, and I liked her enough. We were together for a few months before... well we just kind of grew apart. After the war Duo had gone to work with Hilde and the Sweepers, but we kept in contact. When Relena and I broke up, I stopped working for her. After a little while, Wufei persuaded me to join the Preventers and being stationed on L2, I was able to see Duo more often."

The recording went quiet for a few moments.

"Tell me about that," Dr. Levitz directed the old Heero.

"About what?"

"The times you spent with Duo Maxwell."

Again there were a few seconds of silence, and then Heero's voice continued describing his life. "He dragged me along to the movies..."

Heero saw a flash of him and Duo sharing a large bag of popcorn, Duo eating the majority of it. The smell of theatre butter and Duo's cologne invaded his senses.

"We went out to eat when we could..."

He remembered sitting across from Duo in a dimly lit restaurant, watching as the braided man enjoyed his large platter of pasta. He could taste wine on his tongue, feel the smooth tablecloth beneath his hand. He recalled feeling a strange tightening in his gut as he looked at Duo that night, and not knowing what to make of that sensation.

"He took me to a carnival one weekend..."

The image of a large ferris wheel formed in Heero's mind. He saw Duo dragging him into the small compartment of it, sitting close enough to make Heero feel the warmth of his thigh against his own. He remembered tasting funnel cake for the first time in his life, and Duo's complete pleasure at watching him eat it. He remembered that large smile of Duo's that he was slowly beginning to treasure.

"He wanted to ride every ride and play every game. We didn't leave until they were closing down at 11 o'clock..."

Heero thought of that night when they left the carnival, tired from a full day of excitement he had never experienced before that night. He could recollect Duo falling asleep in the car on the way home, a large stuffed bear sitting like person in the back seat of Heero's sedan. Heero couldn't help smiling as the memories flooded back.

"He even surprised me once – showing up at my door one night with a DVD and pizza..."

Listening to his voice recall the memory with such fondness, Heero felt the images return to him. Kicking back on his couch with Duo beside him, eating slice after slice of meat-covered pizza until his stomach could not hold any more, watching the action flick Duo had brought with him and had obviously seen before... Heero slowly remembered all of it. And with increasing eagerness, he listened as his own voice continued from the laptop.

"I didn't fall in love with him right away, but I definitely felt it more and more over time. It was a while before anything happened. We were at his apartment eating Chinese and watching another one of his movies." The Heero on the recording paused. "He just leaned over and kissed me and we just kind of realized we basically were in a relationship already. So we just kept going from there."

Intense joy came over Heero as he remembered their first kiss. He could almost taste the Sweet n' Sour sauce that mingled on Duo's tongue. He could smell the scent of Duo's hair as he remembered running his hands through that silken mass.

It amazed him that he had ever wanted to forget such a memory.

"What happened then?" Dr. Levitz asked.

Heero's voice sighed from the laptop. "We dated for about a year and half. Then he made next move... again. He proposed to me..."

The bliss in Heero heightened and he remembered the ring Duo presented him with. He remembered the night in the park, riding Duo's motorcycle and the picnic they had shared that was much like the one they had recently gone on. The memory of Duo sliding that ring on his finger, after asking that momentous question, played strongly in Heero's mind. Absently, his right hand moved to caress his left ring finger. Happily remembering a time when that ring had been there, he sadly missed it.

"We married at a small ceremony." The recording went silent and the old Heero's voice lowered to almost a whisper. "It was the best day of my life..."

Flashes of Duo in a tuxedo, his shining hair pulled into his usual braid... Their friends gathered around them as they read their vows... Sliding a golden band onto Duo's finger... Heero felt a tear slip down his cheek. Every emotion he had felt that day came back full force, and he felt every one of them with the greatest pleasure. How could he have ever wanted to forget such happiness?

"But it didn't last?" Dr. Levitz was simply asking a question, but Heero hated him for ruining his moment of reminiscence.

"No," firmly replied Heero's voice from the laptop. "Things started getting a little rocky when I had a few dangerous missions for the Preventers. He was worried one day I wouldn't come home, and he always reacted to fear by either joking about it, or getting angry. Those days he got angry. One night we had a big fight and he left. And that was it."

Suddenly Heero remembered the fight in all its horrible glory. They had gotten into a shouting match, which had surprised both of them because neither was one to lose their temper. Heero had punched a hole in the wall in frustration and Duo had thrown his ring at him, saying something along the lines of that he couldn't do this anymore. He kicked Heero out of the home they had shared. And Heero had been so irate, he hadn't argued. Other memories followed – Heero moving his things out of the house. Saying goodbye to the lovable Boxer, Nio, whom Duo had to hold back by the collar as Heero left. He remembered driving away from that small blue house and letting anger override any regret.

Heero couldn't stand it any more. He stopped the audio file and returned the room to silence. Picking up the phone, he quickly dialed Duo's home phone number. He remembered that number as having once been his own as well. The dial tone stopped and the phone began to ring. It kept ringing... Heero waited several minutes through the repetitive ringing, before slamming the receiver down in frustration. He picked it back up and dialed Duo's cell phone. Maybe he just hadn't been home... This time the ringing stopped after a few seconds and Duo's voice came on the line. Heero's heart jumped for a moment before he realized it was the voice mail. He forced the receiver back down without leaving a message and leaned back in his chair.

He had to talk to Duo. He had to apologize, he had to make things right again. He had loved Duo – he still did. More than ever now that he had his memories back. Even remembering the hate that had grown in him after they broke up, it all seemed so childish now. He felt none of that anger that had originally drove him to the Serenity Corporation. He felt only the intense love he had felt for several years before that.

Making up his mind, he stood from the desk chair and went to the living room. He grabbed his coat, which had been flung over the couch, and snatched his keys from the key hook. He left the apartment with every intention of seeing and speaking with Duo. He knew Duo would go home, and with his memories back, Heero didn't need to wonder where that was. He remembered how to get there, the street, the exact address.

Climbing into his car, Heero hoped with every fiber of his being that he would be able to convince Duo that he did not think he was an idiot... that, on the contrary, he loved him immensely and wanted him back. He was willing to do anything to get him back.


	8. Chapter EIGHT

Heero revved the engine, urging the car to go faster. He sped around the corner, taking no notice of the stop sign. Dialing Duo's number on his cell phone for the fifth time since leaving his apartment, he hit 'Send' and waited as it rang. Just like the many times before, there was no answer. Heero angrily threw the phone into the passenger seat and cursed.

A red light forced him to stop the car. He hit the steering wheel in frustration. He didn't know why he was so anxious to get to Duo – he knew he had to talk to him but something was pushing him to do it as soon as possible.

"-urging citizens to stay in their homes and await further instructions from the Preventers-"

Heero frowned and turned up the radio. As he did so the car shook... the whole street shook. He looked out the car window and saw smoke rising in the distance.

"-sent out a warning several hours ago but did not wait in initiating an attack. Lady Une is calling all Preventer agents to Headquarters in hopes of forming a response that will stop these terrorists from attacking our colony-"

"Shit!" Heero got out of the car and watched the smoke floating across the colony. Something exploded, echoing with a loud boom, and fire erupted near the tower of smoke, causing the colony to quiver again. He ducked behind the car door as dust and debris went flying through the air.

A ringing reached his ears and it took a moment to register that it was his cell phone. He quickly climbed back into the car and grabbed his phone, glancing at the caller ID before flipping it open and putting it to his ear. "Une? What's going on?"

"Heero, I need to call in the reinforcements, I need you at the Preventers' office... _now_." The command was thick with stress and Heero sensed an urgency he had never heard in her voice before.

Heero looked around, checking the street sign and realizing he was only a few streets over from the office. "I'll be there in a few minutes, I'm not far," He told her as another tremor wracked the colony.

"Hurry," was all she said before hanging up.

People were screaming and running in the street now, car alarms were going off and smoke rolled through the air. Looking around, Heero realized he would not be able to drive to the Preventer Headquarters – the streets were too crowded with panicking colony citizens. Tucking his cell phone in his back pocket, he got out of his car, locked it, and started down the road. He went as fast as he could, maneuvering his way against the crowd.

There was another explosion, this one so close it knocked Heero off his feet. He dived for the ground and covered his head as yet more remnants of the colony rained upon him. Despite his chaotic surroundings, Heero found he was rather calm, old instincts kicking in. Before the air had even cleared, he was back on his feet and running down the sidewalk.

He turned the corner and the Preventers office came into view. He sped up and soon reached the door. He pushed past several agents going in the opposite direction – field agents, Heero assumed going out onto the street to calm people down and direct them to safe houses.

As Heero reached the seventh floor, he noted the office was in the same state of havoc as the street below. Phones were ringing endlessly and agents were rushing from desk to desk, attempting to answer all the calls and collecting files from various cabinets.

A hand grabbed Heero's arm and he turned, coming face to face with the man he now recognized as Trowa Barton. The green eyes stared at him in complete seriousness. "Une wants us all in her office," he said in his usual calm voice. "Wufei, Quatre and Duo are already waiting for us."

Heero nodded and they walked briskly down the hall.

"How did you and Quatre get here so fast?" Heero asked as they walked, remembering now that the two didn't live on this colony.

"Une called us last week, asked us to come to L2. We've been staying with Duo."

A knot twisted in Heero's stomach as he thought about Duo being so close. He knew Duo had had similar training and experience as a Gundam pilot as he did, but he couldn't help the apprehension he felt when he thought of Duo working with them to fight terrorists. He was worried.

Trowa and Heero entered Une's office and she looked up from behind her desk. Her hair was pulled back into a loose bun and she had discarded her glasses, leaving them on top of a stack of papers. Three other faces turned as they came in. Wufei, Quatre and Duo were all seated opposite Une, waiting.

"Finally," Une said, relief plain in her voice. "Please sit." She motioned to the two empty chairs beside the other three men.

Heero sat down, taking a quick glance at Duo, who avoided his gaze and stared intently at his lap. Trowa took the seat next to him and Une began.

Looking between Duo and Heero, Une started her speech by apologizing. "Duo, Heero, I'm sorry but I can no longer respect yours and Dr. Levitz's wishes. As former Gundam pilots, you're needed now. Wufei told me you both know what happened as far as having your memories modified... Do either of you remember anything?"

Heero glanced at Duo again, but Duo showed no signs of speaking. He continued to stare at his fidgeting thumbs. Heero looked back at Une and nodded. "Yes," he said flatly. "I remember everything."

Une nodded back. "Good. And you?" She turned to Duo.

Duo finally looked up. "Yeah, I think so."

"Good," Une said. "The E.R.A. is attacking the colony, as you probably guessed. They sent a warning just an hour ago, telling us to evacuate the colony. However they didn't give us enough time before they started their assault. They're using modified Taurus models and several Virgo dolls. Their pilots are well trained and the dolls have advanced programming, making it very hard for even our mobile suit trained agents to do much damage against them. We're losing men faster than they are and I'm sorry, but I have to call on your skills here. It's been several years, but I would hope you guys haven't gotten terribly rusty..."

"Are we going to use Preventer mobile suits?" Quatre asked.

Une shook her head. "We have some special suits prepared."

- - - - -

Heero stared in awe at the five suits. Une and the five pilots stood at one end of a vast hangar, upon a raised platform. Housed there were five large, specialized suits. Looking reminiscent of the Gundams, each was different and modified to have similar abilities to the original five suits. One sported a buster rifle, one held a thermal scythe, one packed two massive blades, one was heavily laden with long-range weapons and the last one had a whip-like extendable arm. They weren't as big as the Gundams, but just by their looks, Heero could tell they operated alike.

He looked fondly upon the suit he knew he would be piloting, admiring the buster rifle and mentally noting the differences in it's make compared to Wing. His eyes roamed over its multi-colored surface, seeing the extra compartments on its shoulders that obviously held long range guns, and the stylistic designs around it's head that made it look remarkably like his old Gundam. He glanced sideways at the others and saw similar looks of wonder and curiosity on their faces. Wufei, however, looked less surprised and Heero had a strong suspicion that he had known this was coming.

"You'll be piloting these," Une told them. "I've had engineers working on these for the past year. With the building threat of the E.R.A., I knew it was a matter of time before they would be needed. As you can tell just by their appearances, they're based off each of your Gundams. We modified them a little, but made them as much like the Gundams as possible. You should have no trouble piloting them."

"How did you base them so closely off the Gundams?" Trowa asked.

"We contacted the scientists that originally designed the Gundams," Une replied. "They were reluctant, but eventually they agreed and sent us the Gundam blueprints. We didn't want to replicate the Gundams completely, just enough to form an adequate defense against the E.R.A."

"Are they made of Gundanium?" Quatre asked, taking a few steps toward his suit.

"A fusion of Gundanium and other alloys. They're lighter than the Gundams, but still have the durability."

Heero walked forward to stand in front of his new suit. The others followed him, placing themselves before their respective suits. Heero looked over and Duo. The braided man still avoided his gaze. Heero watched as he gripped the railing and stared up at the suit that was so much like Deathscythe. He understood how he felt, he was feeling it himself. He was excited to be piloting again, but at the same time he was disappointed that his skills were needed again. He had thought it was over, that he would never have to do this again. But here he was, standing in front of a Wing look-a-like, ready to call on his training again to defend the colony. He would have to kill, something he never thought he would have to do again. He hated it. But he had no choice.

As he watched Duo lean heavily against the platform railing, Heero knew matching thoughts were running through his head. He glanced at the others and knew they were _all_ thinking it.

There was a low rumble and the platform shook, causing them all to grab the banister for balance. Une looked at them all with extreme urgency in her brown eyes. "There's no time to waste – GO!"

The hangar stopped shaking and they all steadied themselves. Heero immediately jumped over the railing and across the small gap between the platform and the cockpit of his new suit. He climbed into the pilot seat and strapped himself in as the compartment door closed him off from the world.

The control board lit up in front of him and Heero felt a smile grace his lips. The system was identical to Wing. All the switches and buttons were in the same place… all the controls were the same. Heero's fingers flew over the controls with familiar precision, starting up the suit's support systems. Three digital viewing screens opened before him, showing him the surrounding hangar and the other suits. He was smiling despite himself – he couldn't help but like the feeling of being back in a mobile suit.

He saw the other suits warming up next to him and he hesitated for a moment as he saw Duo's suit move, flexing the right arm and powering on the thermal scythe. Something stirred in Heero and he wanted to tell Duo to stay behind, to stay out of danger. He knew he couldn't, and he knew Duo was perfectly capable of handling a mobile suit fight, but he was still worried.

Wufei's face appeared in the corner of one of Heero's screens and his attention was drawn back to the task at hand. "There's approximately a hundred enemy Tauruses, and about fifty Virgo dolls. Radar detects approaching backup, count unconfirmed. We need to take the battle as far away from the colony as possible. Any ideas, Quatre?"

Quatre's face materialized next to Wufei's. "I say we focus on the dolls first, since they seem to be the bigger problem."

Wufei nodded. "Roger that." And his face disappeared.

Quatre's screen also flashed off, and Heero watched as the others began to move out. Quickly turning his own suit, he started up the jets and propelled himself out of the hangar just as it's massive doors opened for them. The mobile suit controls operated smoothly and the suit body reacted to his slightest adjustment. Heero chuckled in satisfaction.

The others fanned out beside him as they headed towards the large E.R.A. army. Heero blinked at the mass of suits before him, readying himself for battle. His mind was switching gears, transforming his thoughts to focus completely on his goal of destroying this enemy. He had to eradicate them – to protect the colony he had to concentrate on destroying them all. Pushing his worries about Duo to the back of his mind, he urged his suit forward.


	9. Chapter NINE

Heero swiftly shot down several mobile dolls, smiling as the explosions lit up his viewing screens. He maneuvered his suit around to face another group of enemy Virgos and fired his buster rifle at them. For a moment, sparks of light flickered before him. The next second there was nothing but empty space.

He glanced sideways and saw Trowa shooting madly at several E.R.A. suits. Wufei was not too far off, and Quatre was beside him, busily destroying the enemy. Heero turned in the other direction and saw Duo spin his scythe and take out half a dozen Tauruses.

About twenty Preventer suits, all that remained from the small Preventer army, were fighting with them, doing their best to draw the E.R.A. away from the colony. It was working – the E.R.A. was slowly following them out into space.

Heero grinned and with one more shot of his buster rifle, he demolished the few remaining Virgo dolls. Quatre's satisfied face appeared in the corner of his left screen.

"Now we have to draw the rest of them into space," Quatre said. "We're down to about sixty Tauruses and there's at least a hundred more on the way."

"Just Tauruses or more dolls, too?" Heero asked.

"There don't seem to be any dolls with the approaching reinforcements," Quatre replied, "But that's not definite."

Heero nodded and headed away from the colony with several E.R.A. suits in tow. He quickly whipped around and shot them into oblivion before they could even react. He smiled as he easily engaged more enemy Tauruses and destroyed them with experienced precision. The familiarity of it did not escape him. He felt as if he had never left the cockpit of his old Gundam. As if he had never left the battlefield. It was something he had thought was over, but that he now willingly returned to. His old instincts returned full force and with amazing ease, he piloted his new suit and annihilated the enemy.

He could see around him as the others took to the fighting with similar fluidity. They effortlessly overcame the opposition, and as the enemy reinforcements came into view, the five ex-Gundam pilots led the Preventer forces out to meet them.

They were now well out in space and could safely continue fighting without worry of doing more damage to the colony. An explosion nearby caused Heero's suit to shake, and when he looked up, Heero saw well over a hundred suits headed his way.

Driving his suit foward, Heero attacked the nearest E.R.A. suits and quickly demolished them. The others were fighting just as easily. He nearly laughed at how much stronger they were than the enemy fighters. Until he saw four Tauruses jet towards them... carrying a large beam canon.

Heero watched as they charged up the weapon, and a thick energy beam shot in his diretion. With honed reflexes, he darted out of the shot's path. He turned just in time to see Duo, in his Deathscythe look-a-like, take the hit to his left side.

Several explosions wracked the suit's side and when the fires dissipated, the remaining half of the suit just drifted there. Pieces of Gundanium scattered into space, floating around Duo's mauled suit. Wires and cables were exposed on the side of the suit and a few pathetic sparks lit up before quickly dying. Half the cockpit was open to space now, and Duo's still form could just barely be seen. Heero let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding and tried to connect to Duo's suit through the comm-link. The call wouldn't go through.

He turned his suit, preparing to jet over to Duo's aid, but a call came through and Wufei's face appeared in the corner of his viewing screen. "Heero, you need to concentrate!"

"Duo's been hit," Heero told him urgently, "I can't –"

"Heero we have a bigger problem on our hands right now." Wufei glared at him from the small screne. "Duo was a Gundam pilot too, he knew the risks and he came anyway. If we don't stop the E.R.A now, they will destroy the whole colony and move on to the next."

Heero's jaw clenched. He knew Wufei was right and he knew what he had to do. Frustration built in him and he was torn between wanting to help Duo, and needing to fight the terrorists. A sick feeling filled his stomach as he nodded and turned back to the approaching Tauruses. He cleared his mind of thoughts of Duo, forcing himself to be numb, and urged his suit foward.

The Tauruses holding the beam canon prepared to fire again, but Heero was too quick. Pulling out his beam sabre, he darted from enemy to enemy and viciously slashed them into nothingness.

A deadened stiffness came over Heero as he forced the sabre through the beam canon, slicing it to pieces. He turned and shot after more Tauruses. Quatre jetted foward out of the corner of his eye, chasing down several terrorist suits. Trowa was next to him, and in the distance Heero saw Wufei take out a several more.

The fighting became automatic for Heero. He was no longer thinking about anything – simply controlling his suit and fighting the E.R.A.. Long minutes passed and it all became a blur to him.

Next thing he knew, the handful of remaining E.R.A. Tauruses were retreating. Frowning, he saw the others pulling back. He took one last glance at the remains of Duo's suit and, an angry determination set upon his face, he turned and chased after the retreating suits.

He first thought of simply firing his buster rifle and taking them out in one shot, but something stopped him. He thought of the phantom "Marshals" and knew that the E.R.A. leaders would not be doing any of the fighting themselves. Consquently, he knew that if he shot down the retreating suits, he would lose any chance of finding the source of the E.R.A.. Making a decision, he slowed down his suit, keeping the enemy suits just on the edge of his vision. He continued to follow them, but just out of sight.

Soon he could no longer see the L2 colony, and after another good hour, another colony appeared in the distance. By its location, Heero could tell it was the L4 colony.

The Tauruses he was following made a sharp turn and headed for some drifting space scrap. As Heero drew closer though, he could make out a much larger object hiding amongst the debris. A ship, approximately 200 yards long and 100 yards wide, was nestled in the floating trash. Heero ran an analysis on it, but could not gather much information. It was a custom ship, with no records.

Heero's eyes narrowed and he watched as the Tauruses entered the ship through a small porthole and disappeared. He saw the porthole closing and quickly fired his jets, shooting himself into the hangar just as the doors closed behind him.

His entry did not go unnoticed – the handful of Tauruses immediately turned their weapons on him and began firing. In one swift movement, Heero retaliated and cut through the group with his beam sabre. Violent explosions shook the hangar and Heero's suit was thrown back against the ship wall. The seat straps kept him in place, but he still felt the wind get knocked out of him.

He recovered almost instantly and as soon as the pressure equalized in the hangar, he switched off his suit and jumped out of the cockpit. He landed smoothly on the hangar floor and immediately darted for the nearest door. Flattening himself against the wall, slowly opened the door, peering around the corner and into the hallway. It was deserted, though alarms were starting to sound and red alert lights began flashing everywhere. They knew he was here.

Running down the hallway, he turned corner after corner, searching for a clue as to where the Marshals would be – a security room, some guards to question, anything. Dashing around another corner, he came to the end of the hallway and smiled when he saw the only door labeled 'Security'. Throwing his back against the wall next to the door, he kicked to the side and busted the door open. He then waited while a rush of bullets immediately zoomed through the open doorway.

Heero glanced into the room, quickly pulling back to avoid being shot. His brief look was enough though and he was able to count six guards scattered about the room - two near the door, one in the far corner and three stood on the opposite side of the room, near the security control board. All had guns trained on the door.

"Cease fire!" one of the guards shouted, "Just wait!"

The gunshots stopped and Heero took his chance. Throwing himself into the room, he did a quick spin and kicked the first two guards to the floor. He dodged more bullets and threw himself at the next nearest guard. He easily twisted the gun out of the other man's hand and knocked him out with a swift punch. And finally, in a graceful spin, he fired three shots and took out the remaining guards.

The room grew silent and the sudden calm was unnerving. Heero wasted no time though. He locked the door and set to work at the security controls. Searching the files, he pulled up the video surveillance. He rapidly clicked from file to file, eyeing each room that appeared on screen. He went through several dozen screens before he finally saw something promising.

He pulled up a screen that showed five men sitting at a conference table. Each one looked well into his fifties, and overly distinguished. They all had stressed expressions on their faces and were talking rapidly. And although there was no audio, Heero had a hunch they were discussing what to do about their intruder. Several armed guards surrounded them, but Heero wasn't worried. So far the E.R.A. wasn't proving too hard to handle.

Heero's eyes narrowed and he stared at the screen for a few moments, thinking. An idea came to mind and his fingers flew over the controls. He watched with a smile on his face as the group of men in the conference room immediately erupted into panic as the door whooshed shut and locked itself. Heero reset the password, effectively locking them in.

He set about closing and locking the other sections of the ship, closing off any backup.

Once all doors were closed and locked, and all passwords reset, he perused more files and found the ship's blueprint. He located the room with the Marshals and committed it to memory. Satisfied, he shut down the security computer and stood up.

He looked up to the ceiling and quickly spotted the vent he was looking for. Pulling a chair underneath it, he climbed onto it and punched the grate out with the side of his fist. He slid it aside and pulled himself into the vent with relative ease. Once he was in the vent, he slid the grate back into place and began his long crawl to the conference room.

It took a good half hour for him to locate the right room and when he did, he peered down through the grate and watched the men for a few moments. He studied their face, immediately recognizing a few of them.

On man stood at the head of the room, talking to the others. He was older and had a graying beard and thinning hair. His face was lined with age and Heero recognized him from the suspect files he had been looking over just days before. His photographic memory told him this man's name was Edward Mathers. He was 52 years old and a veteran soldier from the United States.

Heero scanned the other men and recognized them all as ex soldiers.

Eyes narrowing, Heero watched as one of several guards walked just underneath the vent. As he passed, Heero kicked out the grate and jumped into the room. He kicked the guard's legs out from underneath him and snatched his gun from his belt. In the single swift movement, Heero gained control of the room.

The Earthling Revolutionary Army leaders all turned to stare at the intruder, and their handful of guards all slowly raised their hands away from their weapons.

Heero smiled. "You are the Marshals?"

Their leader, Mathers, smirked back at him. "And you must be the famous Heero Yuy. So they've set the Gundam pilots on us… Which of the five of you was blasted in half, I wonder?"

Without meaning to, Heero flinched, and in that moment one of the guards pulled out his gun and fired two well-aimed shots. The first tore the gun from Heero's hand. The second dug itself into his side, sending a burning pain throughout his body and knocking him to his knees. He held his hands over the wound and blood began to seep past his fingers. He looked up in time to see Mathers approach him, a gun in his hand.

A smug smile spread across Mathers' face as he stood over the injured pilot. "Must have been Duo Maxwell, the one we used to see you with. I thought you pilots were expert fighters..." He leaned over Heero, putting their faces only inches apart. "You shouldn't let your guard down so easily, young man."


	10. Chapter TEN

Heero glared at the man standing over him. Mathers, still happily gloating, held the gun firmly pointed at Heero's face.

"I find it extremely entertaining that my men could actually kill a former Gundam pilot," Mathers mused. "With your reputations I would have expected a much more difficult time. But one of five is dead, and another is about to be." His smile widened and he tightened his grip on the gun.

Heero's eyes narrowed as anger grew in him. With every taunting word from Mathers, a nagging hatred mounted in Heero. He wanted to jump up, shove that gun into Mathers's mouth and shut him up for good. But the pain eminating from his side was overwhelming his senses, and as the blood continued to flow he felt his strength draining away.

Mathers watched Heero for a moment, studying his expression. He let out a soft chuckle. "So now that he's dead, are you going to cry?"

Not wanting to hear another word, Heero forgot about the seering pain in his side and lunged forward, momentarily stunning the man in front of him. In an instant he dashed towards Mathers and dodged the bullet that shot from the old man's gun. He grabbed Mathers's wrist, twisting it and smiling as the man yelped in pain. Heero snatched the gun as it fell from Mathers's hand. He spun the man's arm behind his back and placed the gun firmly against the side of his head.

The room went still and quiet again, everyone watching as Heero held the gun to their leader's head.

Heero tightened his grip on the gun, making sure Mathers felt the movement. He leaned foward, so that his mouth was an inch from Mathers's ear. "_You_ didn't kill him," Heero whispered in his best monotone, "but I think your life for his would be fitting anyway."

Heero smiled as he felt Marshals body stiffen with fear. Slowly, Heero moved around so that he was face to face with Mathers. He saw the anxiety in the older man's eyes and knew that hatred showed in his.

His eyes narrowed and his trigger finger twitched, ready to send a bullet into the Mathers's head.

"Heero!"

Heero blinked. As if he had been snapped out of a trance, he turned to look at who had called his name. Wufei, Trowa and a handful of Preventer agents stood in the doorway, guns aimed into the room. The Marshals, Mathers included, and their guards immediately raised their hands in the air.

Heero lowered his gun and let out a heavy breath. The adrenaline was dissipating from his system and a strong throbbing was growing in his side. He looked down and saw his whole left side and leg were drenched in blood. He cringed and dropped the gun, moving his hand to hold his wound as he fell to his knees again.

Trowa rushed to his side, supporting him as he passed out.

- - - - -

Heero was woken as he felt his body being lifted and placed in a chair. He blinked his eyes open, waiting a few seconds for the blurriness to recede from his vision. He looked around and saw he was in one of the Preventer transport ships. Trowa was standing next to him, along with several medics. He was sitting in a wheelchair and when he tried to move, an torturous pang shot throughout his body. He felt a tight bandage wrapped around his torso, effectively preventing any further bleeding, but it did not help with the pain.

One of the medics got behind him and began wheeling him out of the ship. His head throbbed and he had to close his eyes against the sudden brightness of the hangar, but shouting somewhere across the room drew his attention.

He squinted his eyes open and looked to the other end of the hangar. His eyes widened involuntarily when he saw Duo's mangled suit lying across the floor. Several medics were running towards the suit, rolling a gurney along with them. Then, slowly, from behind the suit, Quatre emerged, Duo leaning heavily on him. Duo's legs were moving though, and his arm was clinging tightly to Quatre's shoulder.

Heero's heart leapt. Duo wasn't dead...

The medics rushed up to them and helped Quatre support the injured pilot. One of the medics slowly removed Duo's helmet and the sight made Heero cringe. There was a large gash on Duo's forehead, sending a river of blood to cascade down the side of his face and soak his hair. His left arm hung deadly at his side and Heero saw more blood gushing from a wound on his chest. As the medics helped him onto the gurney, his face contorted in pain.

Heero shifted in his chair, making an attempt to stand and go to Duo, but the agony in his side and a hand on his chest kept him sitting. He looked up at Trowa and the other man withdrew his hand.

"He'll be fine," Trowa said calmly. "You know the Preventers have the best medical staff in space. They'll take care of him. And you know Quatre won't leave him."

Heero glared at him, but Trowa was unmoved. He turned and nodded at the medic and Heero was wheel foward again.

Before they exited the hangar, Heero took a last look back. Duo was also being wheeled out of the room, surrounded by several medics and followed closely by Quatre. It did little to ease his worry, but he felt a slight relief knowing Duo was alive and would more than likely be alright.

- - - - -

Heero slept uneasily that night. He could not stop thinking about Duo, injured and bloody, being carried out of his suit by Quatre. Dreams of death and pain haunted what little sleep he did get, and frequent pains from his wound interrupted any chance of peaceful rest.

The next morning, Une came in to visit him carrying a thick folder and a pen.

"I know you're still recovering, but I need your mission report done as soon as possible..." Her expression showed how sorry she was at having to ask.

Heero nodded. "Usual format?"

"Yes," she replied, handing him the folder and pen.

He took it from her and silence fell on the room. They both remained quiet for some time – Une staring at her folded hands, Heero staring at the file in his lap.

"How are you doing?" Une finally asked.

"How is Duo?" Heero asked, clearly changing the subject.

Une blinked and stood still for a second. She then sighed and looked back down at her hands. "He's... stable."

"What does that mean?"

"He was in bad shape..." But she said nothing more.

Heero glared at her. "I want to know how he's doing," he said firmly.

"It's only been a few hours since you all arrived back," Une said. She took in a deep breath and moved to sit in the guest chair beside Heero's bed before continuing. "He went straight into surgery and the doctors removed a piece of metal that was embedded into his chest. He was very lucky – it did not hit any major arteries or organs, or cause any serious damage at all, really. He got out of surgery about 45 minutes ago. He's been stitched up and is sleeping right now. The doctors say he should be fine"

Heero stared at his lap. He was relieved to hear Duo was stable but he was still terribly worried.

After a few moments, when Heero didn't say anything, Une spoke again. "I know you want to see him, but give it a few days. Concentrate on your report and let him – and yourself – recover a little."

Heero didn't know why, but he was suddenly very angry with her. He forced calmness into his voice, but didn't quiet manage. "Get out," he told her.

She frowned, unsure of what she had done or said to upset him. "Heero, I..."

"I need to work on my report."

Une nodded and stood up. Before she left the room, she turned back. "Heero, if there had been another option, you know I never would have called on him or the others. You and Wufei signed on for this, they didn't. If I hadn't thought it was neccessary, I would have left them out of it..."

She left the room and Heero opened the file and was about to begin writing his report when a knock came on the door.

Heero looked up and saw Trowa and Wufei walk into the room. He turned back to his report. "I'm not really in the mood for visitors."

"You have them anyway," Trowa said, taking the seat Une had just vacated.

Heero glared at him.

Wufei took the file from Heero's lap and placed it on the side table, recieving his own death glare from Heero. "Don't look at us like that," he said, half smiling.

He took the other guest chair and from the way he sunk into it, Heero could tell he probably hadn't gotten to sleep yet. He glanced over at Trowa and saw the dark circles around his eyes and realized he hadn't slept either. They had both probably worked through the night.

Heero eyed them. "Where's Quatre?"

"Still with Duo," Trowa answered. "I told you he wouldn't leave Duo, and he hasn't."

Heero nodded.

The three of them sat in silence for a few minutes, none of them knowing what to say.

Wufei looked up at Heero and finally spoke. "What happened on that ship?" he asked. "I've never seen you let your guard down enough to get as badly hurt as you did."

"If you're here to give me a lecture-"

"That's not what I meant..." Wufei shooked his head. "Nevermind."

The room was quiet again for a few long minutes, but this time it was Heero who spoke first. "Mathers was taunting me about Duo's death," he said quietly. "It got to me."

He stared intently at his lap, determined not to look either of his friends in the eyes.

Trowa let out a sigh. "Don't worry about it. Duo's not dead and you will both be alright."

Heero nodded absentmindedly.

"Give it a few days before you go charging off to see him, will you?" Heero looked up at Wufei's words. The Chinese man had risen from his seat. "You both just found out about what happened, and you were both just in a battle where you were both badly injured. It's unnecessary to rush talking to him."

"You don't even know why I want to see him," Heero said, unable to keep the annoyance out of his voice.

"I think we have a good idea," Trowa replied, also rising from his chair.

"Just let it be for a while before you go trying to repair your relationship, ok?" Wufei smiled when Heero just blinked at him. "Don't forget you have a report to do!" he added, placing the file back in Heero's lap.

Without another word, they exited the room, leaving Heero to stare blankly behind them.


	11. Chapter ELEVEN

Almost there! Please R&R, every bit of feedback is appreciated!

And as always, I give thanks to the almighty Lanthir!

* * *

Heero was in the hospital for nine days. He finished his report by the second night and after that, he had nothing to occupy his thoughts but Duo. He was frequently visited by Une, Wufei and Trowa, and sporadically by Quatre, who only left Duo's side when Trowa was able to take his place.

Heero made sure to bombard them with questions about Duo during every visit, and after a few days they simply began giving him an update as soon as they walked through the door. Heero found out that Duo slept through the first two days of his stay, and that once he woke up, the doctors determined there would be no permanent damage from any of his injuries. He was cleared to go home sooner than Heero, after only a six day stay.

Quatre made a point to tell Heero that he and Trowa would be staying with Duo for at least two more weeks while he recovered, so there was no need to worry.

Heero, of course, continued to worry despite everyone's assurances that Duo was doing fine. Several times during his hospital stay, he picked up the phone to call Duo, but his nerves always got the better of him and he would end up hanging up before the second ring.

He just had too many doubts. And there was a nagging feeling that he needed to say whatever he wanted to say in person, not over the phone.

Once he was released from the hospital, he decided to take his chance before he changed his mind. He found his car safely in the parking lot and made a mental note to thank Wufei. After the terrorists were taken care of and the E.R.A. was deemed no longer a threat, Wufei had tracked down Heero's car and retrieved it from where he had left it in the street.

After a short drive, Heero found himself standing on Duo's doorstep. What he now remembered to have once been his doorstep too.

Letting out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, he reached forward and rang the doorbell. He listened as the bell sounded throughout the house, soon accompanied by excited barking. Heero heard shuffling on the other side of the door and waited as the door slowly opened.

Quatre's eyes widened, but a smile quickly came across his face. "Hey, Heero!"

"Hi…"

Heero looked down and saw Quatre holding back a rambunctious Boxer by her collar. Quatre laughed. "Sorry, why don't you come in?" He stepped back and allowed Heero to move inside.

Once the door was closed, Quatre released the dog and she proceeded to spin in circles at Heero's feet. Anxious whimpers escaped her wide jowls and her rear end was wiggling uncontrollably.

"Well, she sure remembers you," Quatre said.

Heero smiled. "Nio, sit."

Obediently the dog stopped spinning and planted her squirming rear on the ground. She looked up at him with her large round eyes and waited as he knelt down to pet her.

"And you remember her," Quatre added, smiling wider.

Heero nodded, but didn't say anything until he stood up. "Where's Duo?"

Quatre's smile faltered. "He's in his room resting, but…"

Heero walked out of the entryway and down the hallway towards the living room, where the stairs were that led up to the bedrooms.

"Heero, wait!" Quatre grabbed Heero's arm, stopping him. "I don't know if he wants to see you."

"Why not?" Heero asked, frowning at the blonde.

"He listened to his Serenity Corp file when he got back from the hospital-"

"So?"

"He's been acting weird the past few days, Heero. And he's still in a lot of pain from the battle."

Heero stared at Quatre intently. "I _have_ to talk to him, Quatre."

Quatre opened his mouth to say something but Trowa came out of the living room and interrupted them. "What's going on? Heero weren't you just discharged this morning?"

"Yes," Heero replied quickly, "But I need to speak with Duo. Now."

The three of them stood looking at each other for a moment. Trowa eyed Heero for a moment, before he gracefully stepped aside. "He's in his room. But be careful."

Heero nodded. "Thank you."

He walked around Trowa and continued down the hallway. He passed the living room and with a quick glance, he noted that the room hadn't changed much since he left. Furniture and decorations were still the same and except for some missing photographs, everything was comfortingly familiar. He made his way up the stairs and as he approached the second door on the left, he saw it was closed.

He walked up to it, his pounding heart causing his side to throb. He absentmindedly rested his hand over the wound, jerking it away when the touch made pain sprout from the spot. Letting out a heavy sigh, he raised his hand and tapped on the door.

"Duo?"

There was no answer.

He decided to go in anyway, expecting to see Duo sleeping. But when he opened the door, he came face to face with the man he was there to see. Duo had stitches on his forehead and his left arm was in a sling. He wore a simple black tank top that showed the bruising over his left side. He was standing inches away from Heero, eyes wide, apparently in mid-motion to get the door.

"What are you doing here?" he asked quietly.

Heero tried to speak, but choked on his words. He tried again and managed to mumble, "Seeing you."

Duo looked at him almost confused. He backed up to sit on the bed, quickly closing the laptop that rested nearby. He scooted back and crossed his legs, sitting Indian style on the gray comforter. He fidgeted with a string that frayed from the blanket, avoiding Heero's gaze.

Heero tentatively walked forward, sitting down next to Duo. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth to speak, not sure what he was going to say. Duo, however, spoke before he had a chance.

"I listened to my whole recording…"

Heero nodded. "Quatre told me." He glanced sideways at the laptop that lay on the other end of the bed. "Is that what you were doing?"

"Yeah," Duo said. "I've listened to it like five times… Did you listen to all of yours?"

"Not all of it."

Duo looked up at him then, catching his gaze and holding it. "Do you know why we broke up?"

Heero shook his head without looking away. "Something about you worrying I wouldn't come home from Preventer missions and a fight and you kicking me out…"

Duo shook his head. "That's just the excuse I used… I mean, it was a little of that… But the truth is you were working all the time and spending a lot of extra time with Wufei. You said it was for work, for the case on the E.R.A.. But I didn't believe you. I thought you didn't care anymore, and I felt like I was wasting my time. So I ended it."

Heero snorted despite himself, immediately wishing he hadn't when Duo shot a nasty glare at him. "I'm sorry… but me and Wufei?"

"I talked to him already, I know it was stupid now."

"Yeah…" Heero glanced back at Duo and quickly corrected himself. "I don't mean _you're_ stupid. I would never think that."

Duo nodded, though Heero wasn't sure he believed him.

"You were wrong," Heero told him, "I did still care. I always cared about you. I just got busy… and stupid. I shouldn't have spent so much time working. We're not at war anymore – I can have a life now. I forgot that."

"You were fine at first," Duo told him, his memory of those times now clearly returned, "and things were awesome, man. But then the E.R.A. came along and suddenly you didn't have time anymore. You went back to soldier mode."

Heero shook his head. "Because I was stupid, not because I stopped caring. I have a hole in my side to prove I care about you more than any mission."

Duo frowned and Heero could not think of any other way to make it clear to Duo that he still cared. He leaned forward and in a quick movement, he cupped his hand behind Duo's head and pulled him into a kiss.

It was simple and shallow, nothing spectacular, but Heero poured as much of himself as he could into that kiss, trying as best he could to show Duo how much he cared.

At first Duo held still, stiffened with shock. But once his senses realized what was happening, he jerked back. He got up off the bed and back towards the door.

"Look buddy, we can't do this," he said.

Heero stood up and moved in front of him. "Why?"

"Because…" Duo said, louder when he spoke this time. He fumbled to think of a logical reason, but nothing came to him.

Heero stared intensely at Duo and the braided man blinked nervously. "I don't want to go back to forgetting you," he said.

Duo closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, Heero could see the stress he was under. He could see how torn Duo was. "I don't want that either," Duo said, his voice lowering to a whisper.

"Then let's go back to how things were – before all this happened."

Slowly Heero closed the space between them, bringing their lips together again. He raised his hand to cradle Duo's head and he felt Duo's free arm snake around his back. Both of them put into the kiss this time, both of them pushed themselves into the other. It grew passionate and in that moment it was as if none of the heartache had ever happened.

Heero tightened his grip on Duo's shoulder, causing the braided man to whimper in pain. He jerked back and realized he had been squeezing the injured arm.

"Sorry," he said.

Duo shrugged. "It's ok," he said carelessly, and he leaned forward and resumed the kiss.


	12. EPILOGUE

Every morning, around eight am, Heero Yuy awoke slowly. He rolled over, casually snuggling closer to his lover and enjoying the warmth of the sun that shone through the curtains. He listened to the silence, happily drinking in the quiet of the room. The house was rarely quiet, save for these treasured moments before Duo or Nio woke up. Before getting out of bed, he looked at the man sleeping next to him and smiled. Planting a gentle kiss on his cheek as he did every morning, Heero reluctantly got up to start the day.

Seeing one of her dads raise from the bed, Nio stood from her spot near the door and let out several "Good Morning" barks. As every morning, this was enough to wake Duo up, but no more than for him to throw a pillow across the room and mutter "Shut _up_!" before rolling over and going back to sleep.

Leading Nio from the room, Heero went to the bathroom and carried out his morning rituals. He showered, dried his hair, and brushed his teeth. He spent little time looking at himself in the mirror these days, no longer caring enough to critique himself.

Just like every morning, Heero emerged from the bathroom dressed and ready for the day. By this time, Duo had woken up and made his way downstairs to the kitchen, and after letting Nio out into the yard he put on some coffee and started breakfast. It was different every morning, but today Duo felt like making Heero's favorite – simple toast.

Heero smiled as he entered the kitchen, the smell of toast and coffee filling his nostrils. He gave Duo a quick kiss and they both sat down at the table to enjoy their food. They talked about their plans for the day and about what they would do that evening. Sometime during the conversation Nio pushed open the back door and came back inside. She headed straight for the living room, taking her favorite spot at one end of the couch.

Once breakfast was eaten, Heero left for work while Duo took care of the dishes. Heero's schedule, though more relaxed than it used to be, was still stricter than Duo's, so he had to leave earlier.

It still took about ten minutes to drive to the Preventers Headquarters, depending on traffic. Thankfully though, he no longer slaved behind a desk all day. After proving their inadequacy at fighting the E.R.A., the Preventers mobile suit pilot division had gone under renovations. The most notable improvement being a new teacher – Heero. He worked from nine to five every day, training Preventer agents to skillfully fight in a mobile suit. It meant he could actively defend the colony without having to do any more killing. He loved his job.

Wufei still worked on the seventh floor with Une, but they often dropped in on one another, just to say hi.

Quatre and Trowa had gone back to their life on the L4 colony, happily visiting whenever they could.

Duo continued his work at the salvage yard, often taking long lunch breaks to dine out with Heero.

And every evening, once the day's job was done, Heero came home to his family. As often as they could, Heero and Duo (and Nio, more often than not) spent time together. They made it a point to have a movie night at least once a week, to go out to eat whenever they could, to just be with each other as much as they could manage. Duo took Heero on frequent bike rides and before long, he was teaching Heero to drive.

This was Heero's life now. He woke when his body had slept enough, he worked only until the clock ready five pm, and he came home every night to the man he loved. It was a comforting rhythm Heero never wanted to diverge from again.


End file.
